Global South Cohesion: South African Minister's Call at Tamil Nadu Expo

Johannesburg, Feb 5 (PTI) Emerging geopolitical changes highlight the need for developing cohesion among the nations of the Global South, a South African minister has said.

South Africa's Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan in his virtual address at the Jubilant Tamil Nadu Global Expo and Knowledge Summit at Codissia Coimbatore on Sunday said the meeting "presents us with the opportunity to deepen our trade relations and commercial ties, but also create a deeper and better understanding of what are the dynamics that are emerging in the world today and how is geopolitics globally, beginning to influence different relationships and underlining the importance of developing cohesion amongst the Global South in particular.”

He recalled the willingness of the Indian government to provide vaccines to African countries during the COVID-19 pandemic when Western countries were stockpiling them and were not willing to share the surplus stocks that they had with developing countries.

“It is a context like this that will provide what might appear to be a paradox for us to deal with. On the one hand, we should cooperate, cohere as the Global South, and ensure that we become a force as the Global South to be reckoned with in multilateral institutions.

“And at the same time, let us be frank, we will compete with one another as well about export markets, innovation, and our ability to play whatever kind of role we can for the benefit of our respective peoples,” Gordhan said.

The minister said the 15th BRICS Summit hosted in August last year in Johannesburg had laid the foundation for further cooperation amongst the member countries.

“It is cooperation which enables each of us as nations to pursue our national self-interest but increasingly, at the same time, ensure that we have a unity of purpose as we enhance cohesion within the Global South in a very complex geopolitical context that we find ourselves in.

“So we have an increasingly developing shared vision amongst the BRICS countries, but certainly amongst India and South Africa, and the various constituencies that we represent. Its roots also lie in the kinds of techniques and weapons of struggle developed by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa, which later influenced the freedom of India, and have today become a worldwide set of ideas but also tools for people to continue to struggle for freedom and justice in all parts of the world where these matters have yet to be resolved,” Gordhan said.

He added that Mahatma Gandhi's injunction to “be the change you want to see in the world” still reverberates across generations as the current one works for a just and equitable world order while tackling an important set of new problems that confront them.

Gordhan cited employment for young people, poverty at different levels, inequality, and the growing inequality between the rich and the middle class as well as the poor as some of these challenges.

“In particular, the underlying factor of greed within our societies worldwide is becoming increasingly a problem that is giving rise to unfortunate developments and habits amongst various sections of our population.

“However, at the same time, South Africa's unique ties with India are also borne out of the fact that South Africa is home to one of the world's largest Indian diasporas outside of India.

“In terms of trade, South Africa is the 23rd largest destination for Indian exports, which of course must increase with the efforts of the kind of conference that you are having now.

Gordhan said South Africa wanted its tourism sector to grow to see more visitors from India.

He said the new management at national airline South African Airways needed to be persuaded to reintroduce the route between South Africa and India as the airline begins to expand from domestic to continental and inter-continental services as well.

“South Africa, as we all know, is open for investment across all sectors of our economy, and Indian investors are most welcome, as I am sure South African investors will be welcome in Tamil Nadu and India more generally, and especially in areas where India has shown immense capabilities: business process outsourcing, pharmaceuticals, automotive and manufacturing sectors,” Gordhan concluded.