Congress leader Anand Sharma during a meeting with South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile, in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Anand Sharma met visiting Deputy President of South Africa Paul Mashatile and discussed a host of issues, including the role of the Global South and the BRICS countries in addressing the present global challenges.Mr. Mashatile, the Deputy President of the African National Congress, is on an official visit to India.During the meeting late on Monday (June 1, 2026) evening, Mr. Mashatile referred to the special and historic relations between India and South Africa and the inspiration both countries drew from Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.Issues of shared interest and concerns were discussed in the meeting and the need of working together to and the role of the Global South and BRICS countries to address the present challenges was specifically emphasised.The BRICS, initially comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, with Indonesia joining in 2025.The BRICS has emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5% of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26% of the global trade.Mr. Mashatile engagements in India include a call on by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and a meeting with Vice president C.P. Radhakrishnan.The South African leader will also visit Hyderabad where he will be hosted by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. He will also meet business leaders and academics in Hyderabad. Published - June 02, 2026 03:20 pm IST
