“Prime Minister Modi appreciated South Africa for extending 10-year BRICS multiple entry business visa to business persons from BRICS countries”.
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“For me personally, this visit is an opportunity to pay homage to two of the greatest human souls to have ever walked this Earth – Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela”, Modi had said.
“We have taken decisive steps to ease the licensing processes and rationalize the provisions relating to clearances, returns, and inspections”.
Modi also talked about Gandhi’s fight against racial discrimination and how he tolerated pain in fighting against injustices.
The Prime Minister noted that South Africa was the place where Mahatma Gandhi “conceptualised his politics” and is the “birthplace of Satyagraha”.
Describing South Africa as “karambhoomi (land of work)” of Mahatma Gandhi, he said this country “transformed Mohandas into Mahatma”.
India’s Ion Exchange Safic, a leading waste and water treatment company with a presence in South Africa, will collaborate with Stefanutti Stocks SA in large scale water and effluent treatment projects in South Africa.
“India is also ready to share its experiences and capacities for development of small and medium businesses in South Africa”, said Prime Minister Modi.
Modi’s next stops will be Tanzania and Kenya over his five-day trip.
The prime minister said that one-fourth of India’s investments in Africa were in South Africa.
In his meeting with South African President Jacob Zuma earlier on Friday, the two leaders paid tribute to what Zuma called “two liberation icons”, Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, who was elected in the first all-race elections in 1994.
India’s economic footprint in Africa is dwarfed by that of China, whose trade with the continent topped $200 billion a year ago.
After talks with Zuma, Modi said security is one sector witnessing “a complete transformation” in India.
“Today, India’s success story can be defined in just four letters, “hope”, where H stands for harmony, O for optimism, P for potential and E for energy”, he said to the cheers of over 11,000 people.
South Africa, which lists India as its sixth-largest trade partner, wants to strengthen those ties, according to Zuma’s office.
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He also thanked President Zuma for South Africa’s support to India’s NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) membership bid, stressing: “We know that we can count on the active support of our friends, like South Africa”.
