Durban: South Africa’s high commissioner to India, professor Anil Sooklal, was officially pronounced in the position last week with a letter of credence being presented to the Indian government in New Delhi.

Sooklal is the former Ambassador at Large for Asia and BRICS at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation and the country’s former BRICS Sherpa and IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa) Sherpa.

Sooklal told The Mercury that his mandate from President Cyril Ramaphosa is to strengthen and expand relations with India.

“This is a country with whom we have strong historical ties, very strong historical and friendly relations and a history that binds us in our common struggle for freedom.

“We have the common factor of the indentured Indian community which is an integral part of South Africa today…I am a part of that and the Gandhi factor which binds India and South Africa by the umbilical cord.”

Sooklal said there was significant interest in India to him being appointed to the position.

“For the first time, we have a person of Indian origin being appointed and for them that is a major point of interest, again reviving the historical linkages between our countries and the Indian community.”

South Africa and India have maintained strong bilateral relations for many years and are also key partners in the BRICS and G20 member states. The two countries also form part of the IBSA, a unique forum with three large democracies and major economies from three different continents that face similar challenges.

IBSA, created more than 20 years ago, aims to promote coordination on global issues between three large pluralistic, multicultural and multiethnic democracies of Asia, South America and Africa and to enhance trilateral cooperation in sectoral areas, providing a broader framework for cooperation.

Sooklal said there is a tremendous appetite from the business community in India to do business with South Africa.

“There is a high level of interest and companies are already looking at investing in South Africa.”

The two countries will celebrate thirty years of diplomatic relations next month when a South African government delegation, led by the Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille, members of portfolio committees on International Relations and Trade Industry and Competition (DTI) will visit India between December 2 and 7 to strategically grow and strengthen economic ties between both countries

The India South Africa Chamber of Commerce (Isacc) will also host a business conclave which will include a series of business round tables and working dinners both in New Delhi and Mumbai, to coincide with the South African government delegation visit.

Sooklal said the business relationship between South Africa and India had been stagnant in recent years.

“I think much more can be done in all areas of cooperation, and we're seeing heightened interest on the South African side. In the short time I have been here we have had the South African Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies (Solly Malatsi), Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis coming here.

“The Deputy Minister of Small business Jane Sithole just arrived this weekend and the Minister of Tourism (De Lille) will come in December,” Sooklal said.

THE MERCURY