PRETORIA - Due to simultaneous international working visits by President Cyril Ramaphosa and his deputy David Mabuza, cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has been appointed acting president until Friday, the Presidency said on Tuesday.
Ramaphosa is leading a South African delegation to the 11th BRICS summit to be held in Brasilia, Brazil on Wednesday and Thursday under the theme "Economic Growth for an Innovative Future".
The summit will be preceded by a business forum where Ramaphosa and other BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) leaders will interact with the grouping's Business Council to strengthen dialogue and promote economic, trade, business and investment ties.
"South Africa’s membership of BRICS enables the country to employ additional and powerful tools in its fight to address the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality through increased trade, investment, tourism, capacity building, skills and technology transfers," the Presidency said.
"These objectives are further realised through BRICS financial institutions like the New Development Bank and the Africa Regional Centre."
The presidency said South Africa had made concerted efforts to place the African continent on the BRICS agenda and to harmonise policies adopted in regional and international fora with those pursued by the group.
"President Ramaphosa will utilize the opportunity to highlight to BRICS partners South Africa’s priorities for chairing the African Union in 2020 and the commencement of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area," it said.
The BRICS countries together represent about 42% of the global population, 23% of gross domestic product, 30% of the territory and 18% of the global trade.
African News Agency (ANA)