He will face Vice President John Atta Mills in a run-off elections on December 27. AST is already in 18 African countries and claims a viewership of 16 million. Jonathan Segel, the managing director of AST, said their strategy was first to establish the television channel as a strong quality brand on the continent and then to follow up with an expansion program in European countries such as France, United Kingdom, and Portugal. The new draw of groups for the qualifying round will be made 27 July. The state-controlled South African company, South African Tourism, says it will spend over 52 million dollars over the next 18 months on an international advertising campaign to attract tourists to South Africa.
Analysts say tourism is already South Africa's biggest source of foreign exchange after mining.