High Commissioner of Republic of India to South Africa, Prabhat Kumar has this weekend led different festivities in Pretoria, to mark the January 26 adoption of the Indian constitution in 1950.
The celebrations at India House in Waterkloof, City of Tshwane on Sunday were preluding with other events celebrating the 76th Republic Day of India.
On Saturday evening, Kumar hosted several members of the academia, journalists, businesspeople and diplomats at a feisty celebration hosted at the University of South Africa, characterized by a fusion of Indian and South African cultural heritage.
Attendees were kept on their feet with electric dance moves and gaudy beats from Punjab after the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) sponsored a 12-member-strong dance troupe to travel to South Africa from India. The Punjab outfit gelled seamlessly with South African Oriental Fire dance group on stage – making it an evening to remember for the jubilant crowd which packed the ZK Matthews Great Hall at Unisa.
In an exclusive interview with IOL, High Commissioner Kumar narrated the importance of the January 26 Republic Day celebrations.
“India got independence in 1947, on August 15, which we celebrate as Independence Day but the constitution was drafted from 1947 to 1949 and then it was adopted on November 26 1949. However, the constitution came into force on January 26 1950. That is the importance of this day, that the constitution of India came into force in 1950 and we became a republic,” said Kumar.
“India became a sovereign, democratic republic on this date. The constitution has served us well for the last 75 years, and this is the 76th year. You must have seen that India has had elections periodically, every five years and there has been peaceful change of power.”
Kumar said the nation is moving forward and the economy is growing – and all this stems from having “a good constitution”.
The veteran diplomat also highlighted that India also celebrates its Constitution Day, also known as "National Law Day" on November 26 every year, to commemorate the adoption of the constitution of India in 1949.
Kumar expressed delight at the musical performances from both Indian and South African groups, which he described as a “marriage” of the two cultures.
“Actually, South Africa and India are very closely linked from 1860 onwards, the time Indians started coming as indentured labour but also remember other people also came. Mahatma Gandhi came to South Africa in 1994 and went back in 2014. He was here for 21 years. So, the link is very strong,” he said.
The diplomat also highlighted that around 1.7 million people of Indian origin are proudly South African.
On the question of bilateral trade relations with South Africa, Kumar said his high commission and consulates have set their sights on elevating the ties in 2025.
“We have good relations and our bilateral trade is very good. We are now doing trade of around US$20 billion bilateral and more or less balanced trade within the two countries. It is extending every year and I hope that this year there will be a good expansion,” Kumar told IOL.
He also pointed out that “a lot of” Indian companies are doing business in South Africa.
“They are employing many South Africans. You must have seen some of the companies in the IT (information technology) sector, and in automobiles you must have seen Mahindra, Tata and others. The Indian companies are also in pharmaceuticals and they are doing well in these sectors in South Africa,” said Kumar.
“There are other sectors as well which we would like to come and work, like digital public infrastructure and others. Some South African companies are also working in India, companies such as Naspers, Sanlam and others.”
The top diplomat said there is “good investment” from both sides, good opportunities for the two friendly nations, and great potential for expansion of the trade and investments.
“I hope that 2025 will be a good year for both countries and that our trade and investment, and the economic relations will expand,” Kumar told IOL.
Last year, IOL reported that High Commissioner of South Africa to India, Professor Anil Sooklal, said he believes two-way trade between India and South Africa has the potential to grow to $25 billion (R446.3bn) from the $19 billion it was at the time.
India is South Africa’s fourth-largest trade partner as the sub-continent exports about $5.3bn in goods and services to South Africa annually, said Sooklal, speaking to Business Report ahead of the official launch of the India South Africa Chamber of Commerce (ISACC).
Sooklal said he believed that the new chamber could boost trade between the countries, especially when it came to creating awareness of the opportunities that partnerships with India afforded.
India and South Africa have had diplomatic relationships for 30 years.
There are more than 130 Indian companies in South Africa that collectively employ more than 20,000 South Africans, said Sooklal.
IOL