The Indian diaspora members in Johannesburg feel that the ongoing visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to South Africa will be highly beneficial for the Indian community.

The community members also feel BRICS summit holds the potential of enhancing bilateral trade and cooperation between South Africa and India.

CEO of Concept Digicom Srishti Sumani told ANI: “PM Modi’s visit to South Africa is going to be a highly beneficial one because there are a lot of Indian communities here in South Africa, lots of expat Indians as well.”

She said: “The Indian culture is just growing… I feel like all of his speeches and his thoughts are very futuristic and it’s going to really help the Indian community here…We are excited for PM Modi’s visit. We are going to organise a ‘Rakhi’ ceremony as well for PM Modi.”

CEO of Alfeco Group Sachin Ahuja on the PM’s visit told ANI it is going to add to all the bilateral trade, other agreements which are going to be beneficial for both countries- South Africa and India.

“We all welcome him… BRICS summit provides a platform for all the developing nation to boost their bilateral trade. If you look at the participant countries, they represent 60 per cent of the trade of the world. So we are quite optimistic that BRICS can provide a formidable platform for trade,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a grand welcome from the Indian community in Johannesburg with Rakhi thalis and Indian flags as he arrived in South Africa for the first in-person BRICS summit since 2019.

As the Prime Minister arrived, people were seen attempting to get one picture of PM Modi within striking distance.

Videos showed the Prime Minister blessing children, affectionately touching them on the head, greeting people with folded hands, and accepting their love and well wishes.

The Indian community could be heard chanting 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', and 'Vande Matram' for the Prime Minister, who is eyeing a third term in the general elections scheduled early next year.

This year's BRICS, a grouping of the world economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa,  is under the presidency of South Africa. The theme of this year's summit is: "BRICS and Africa: Partnership for mutually accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusive multilateralism."