PM Narendra Modi arrived in South Africa late last night as part of his four-nation Africa tour
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today meet South African President Jacob Zuma on the second leg of an African tour aimed at boosting ties in a region where China has a strong presence.
PM Modi, who arrived from Mozambique, will head on to Tanzania and Kenya on an itinerary aimed at demonstrating India’s engagement in the continent.
“South Africa is an important strategic partner, with whom our ties are historical and deep-rooted,” he said ahead of his arrival in Pretoria.
PM Modi will attend a thousands-strong Indian diaspora gathering at a stadium in Johannesburg in the evening before visiting Durban, the heart of the Indian community in South Africa, on Saturday.
During his stay in South Africa, PM Modi will honour the 20 years that Mahatma Gandhi spent in the country as a lawyer and activist
campaigning for the rights of Indian people.
On Saturday, he will visit Phoenix Settlement in Durban and undertake a train journey to Pietermaritzburg Station, where Mahatma Gandhi was pushed off a train.
“History is witness to how Mahatma Gandhi’s stay in South Africa impacted him,” PM Modi said.
“He went to South Africa as a lawyer seeking work and returned to India as a strong voice for humanitarian values, who would go on to shape the history of humankind.”
India’s economic footprint in Africa is dwarfed by that of China, whose trade with the continent topped $200 billion last year.
India is gaining ground, however, led by private entrepreneurs with a keen interest in the continent’s burgeoning energy sector.
“China has been far more active for many years than India and this is the start of a much more engaged India on the continent,” Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, of the South African Institute of International Affairs, told AFP.
“India now has Africa in its sights and clearly it’s about building on economic and diplomatic relations that have been around for a long time.”
Source From : ndtv.com
