Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed strong support for South Africa’s membership in the BRICS group of countries, emphasising the economic and political benefits it brings to the nation.
Ramaphosa fielded questions in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday on the benefits of South Africa being part of the BRICS group of countries.
The group has been rebranded as the BRICS Plus coalition after welcoming six new member nations: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
“We, as a country, have benefitted a great deal [through] the association with other BRICS countries. China today is our largest trading partner and this has largely been cemented, upheld and encouraged by our membership of BRICS,” President Ramaphosa said on Thursday.
He added: “Indeed, many other BRICS members, who have now been admitted, are going to find that BRICS is an important forum that goes beyond just the political engagements at that level but also involves economic development, trade extension, technology extension and many other beneficial areas that advance humanity.
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“[Just] the association in BRICS leads to a great deal of economic benefits for our country and we have seen such. Our trade with BRICS countries has grown in leaps and bounds, and many of the areas in which our trade has grown has been by virtue of being associated in BRICS. So there is a clear economic benefit there.”
The president noted that the expansion of the BRICS coalition, from its original five members to eleven, would provide a significant boost, especially for the Global South. He also alluded to the potential for additional expansion, further solidifying the group’s increasing influence on global issues.
“We are, as it is now, going to consider membership applications from many other countries that want to be part of BRICS. So BRICS continues to grow. It continues to grow in importance, economically, politically, as well as [where] trade is concerned.
“BRICS is the great attraction that many countries now see for development and we want to keep BRICS as an important forum, as an important partnership that progresses countries that are associated with it or part of it,” Ramaphosa said.
He also mentioned the economic benefits of hosting the BRICS Summit, as it brought in visitors who spent money in South Africa, boosting the local economy.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
