BRICS will cement SA’s position into international countries – MEC Phosa

Nelspruit –As the country prepares to host the world of leading emerging economic countries in the world, BRICS (Brazil, Russia India China and South Africa) in Durban from 26 – 27 March 2013, the Mpumalanga provincial government in conjunction with the Department of International Relations hosted the BRICS road show at Ehlanzeni District in Nelspruit.

The road show was aimed at informing the people of the province on how important it is for the country to be the member of BRICS as well as exchanging information on how the South African government represents its people on economical and developmental issues in other developing countries.

Outlining the purpose of the road show, MEC for Economic Development Environment and Tourism, Mrs Pinky Phosa said “On behalf of the Mpumalanga Premier, Mr David Mabuza and our people, we would like to express our gratitude to the president of the country, Mr Jacob Zuma for his sterling job, through which South Africa gained membership to BRICS, which is a symbol of hope that the livelihood of the people will improve when South Africa benefits from associating with the four of the world’s emerging economic countries”.

“This BRICS road show therefore confirms the government‘s commitment to ensure that citizens participate in planning for a better tomorrow, and through collaboration with the four members, South Africa will benefit significantly in relation to economic investment opportunities said MEC Phosa”

Also in present during the road show was Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson who said that, “Government is here to engage with you about our role in the international community, and through BRICS we hope to deal with problems that affect our country especially the high rate of unemployment and inequality. We hope that being part of BRICS will enable us to address those challenges”.

“It is not just going to bring us R50 Billion because we also intend to house international banks here and create job opportunities. We will also ensure that we focus on projects linking Mozambique, Mpumalanga and Swaziland, which will grow our economy,” emphasised Joemat-Pettersson.