New Delhi, Sep 7 — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will arrive in New Delhi later this week to attend the BRICS Summit, country's High Commissioner to India, Anil Sooklal, said on Monday while highlighting that the top leader's participation demonstrates the African nation's support for India's BRICS chairship.

In an interview with IANS, Sooklal said that South Africa considers BRICS as a critical platform for the global community and noted that the BRICS Summit is taking place at a critical time in the global environment.

"Our President Cyril Ramaphosa will take part in the summit. I think this is a very important statement from the side of South Africa that we consider BRICS as a critical platform, not just for South Africa and the African continent, but for the global community. I think it's also a very strong statement of support for India's presidency, that our President is leading our delegation, accompanied by our foreign minister and our minister in the presidency and the deputy minister of trade," he said.

As BRICS Chair 2026, India will host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, bringing together leaders of BRICS Member and Partner Countries as well as Outreach Invitees. During the BRICS Summit, the leaders will exchange views on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation on common priorities and share perspectives on global and regional matters of mutual importance, according to the statement released by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Sooklal said world leaders during the BRICS Summit will deliberate on critical issues on the political security front, financial and economic front, and the social, environmental, and climate front.

On South Africa's expectations from the BRICS Summit, he said, "I think this summit is taking place at a very critical time in the global environment and it is after quite a while that you have all of the major leaders of BRICS assembling for the summit and I think this is a very positive statement that will emanate from Delhi, where you have the gathering of some of the most powerful global leaders, not just Global South, but most powerful leaders of the world coming together to deliberate on critical issues on the political security front, on the financial economic front, and on the social environmental climate front and that itself is a very powerful message that the leaders are here and will be focused on addressing these critical challenges. So, I think that will be the first very powerful statement coming out of Delhi, where we need leadership and guidance on the front at this critical moment."

Hailing India's BRICS chairship, Sooklal said that India has so far hosted over 300 meetings which have produced substantial outcomes. He stated that South Africa attended all the ministerial meetings of the BRICS and its participation showcases the importance that it attaches to BRICS and supporting India's chairship.

"I think India has thus far hosted 300-plus meetings, almost 20 at the ministerial level, and these have been substantial meetings. They have not just been meetings in terms of numbers, but they have been meetings that have produced substantial outcomes, especially the ministerial tracks. South Africa was well represented in all of the ministerial tracks, either at the level of minister or deputy minister, and I think that also demonstrates the seriousness with which we take BRICS and the importance of supporting India's chairship with a positive outcome."

"And as I have indicated, I have attended some of these ministerial tracks. They have been very substantive outcomes and forward movement in terms of our cooperation on manifold fronts, on the health sector, on the agricultural sector, the tourism sector, and the communication, ICT sector, we've seen substantial outcomes in these areas, education, capacity and skills development, all of which are critical in terms of our cooperation, but also on the finance track," he added.

Sooklal said BRICS member countries have been looking at greater independence in conducting financial transactions, global trade, and dependence on Western payment systems.

"We have been increasingly looking at greater independence amongst BRICS countries in terms of the manner in which we conduct our financial transactions, in terms of global trade, our dependence on Western systems, Western payment systems, on having greater independence in creating our own payment systems, on deepening inter-BRICS trade and payment in terms of local currencies."

"There has been work in terms of linking our digital currencies, and I think we perhaps will see some movement and substantial announcements during the summit and also in terms of what has been ongoing work for the past three years on exploring how we can become more independent in terms of our payment systems," he added.

India is a founding member of BRICS, and has previously held its Chairship three times in 2012, 2016 and 2021. India assumed its fourth BRICS Chairship on January 1, 2026. The year 2026 also marks a significant milestone as BRICS completes 20 years since its establishment.

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