&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Ramaphosa to attend BRICS summit in India, says South African deputy president; hails India as ‘reliable partner’")
New Delhi: South Africa’s Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile described India as a “reliable partner” and positioned his country as the “gateway to Africa” for Indian business, as he concluded the first leg of a working visit to New Delhi.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Mashatile, on the fourth day of his six-day trip, emphasised strengthening trade, investment and multilateral ties between the two nations. “We see India as a reliable partner,” he said, while calling for reforms of global institutions.
He confirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa would attend the BRICS summit in India later this year and thanked New Delhi for its health assistance during the Ebola outbreak.
In Delhi, the South African leader met EAM Jaishankar, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan and paid a courtesy call on President Droupadi Murmu, discussing trade, investment, skills development and infrastructure.
“We have come to the capital of India to build on the long-standing friendship and partnership between our two countries. Currently, India ranks among the top 10 investing countries in South Africa,” he said.
The visit focused on moving “from dialogue to action”, with meetings involving major Indian firms. Discussions covered renewable energy, automotive manufacturing, mining, infrastructure, agriculture, agro-processing and pharmaceuticals.
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“South Africa is the gateway to Africa for India,” Mr Mashatile said. “I want to see more Indian companies come to South Africa.” He emphasised aligning cooperation with Africa’s Agenda 2063 and India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
Key outcomes include commitments from Indian firms to expand investments in clean energy, pharmaceuticals, ICT and automotive components, plus progress on trade facilitation such as India’s notification for in-transit cold treatment of South African citrus exports.
Mr Mashatile, described the trip as “the beginning of many to come” and pledged to facilitate more trade and investment links. He will travel to Hyderabad on Wednesday for further engagements in pharmaceuticals and IT. Bilateral trade reached about $18.9 billion in India’s financial year 2024-25, with both sides keen to deepen ties under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
In the press conference, Mashatile dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claims of “genocide” against white farmers in South Africa, while stressing that engagement with Washington would continue.
