Friday 05 / June / 2026
New Delhi: The visit of a high-level South African delegation led by Deputy President Paul Mashatile to India underscores the deepening partnership between the two countries, a relationship rooted in their shared struggle against oppression and colonialism.
The historic bond between India and the African National Congress (ANC) dates back to the apartheid era, when both sides were united by common aspirations for freedom—India from colonial rule and South Africa from institutionalized racial discrimination.
Since the end of apartheid, ties between South Africa and India have evolved into a broad-based strategic partnership spanning diplomacy, trade, culture, education and security cooperation. The two nations also share similar perspectives on global issues, advocating multilateralism, strategic autonomy and stronger representation for developing countries through South-South cooperation.
Over the years, New Delhi and Pretoria have expanded economic engagement through growing trade, investment flows, skills development programmes and knowledge-sharing initiatives. They have also collaborated closely within key international forums, including the Non-Aligned Movement, BRICS, IBSA Dialogue Forum, G20 and the Indian Ocean Rim Association, where they continue to champion the economic and political interests of the Global South.
South African Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile alongwith his delegation, on Tuesday met Vice President CP Radhakrishnan.
Earlier, Mashatile met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. According to Jaishankar, both leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in various sectors and agreed to work closely in international forums.
In a post on X, Jaishankar said he was "pleased to meet" Mashatile and appreciated his "strong commitment to deepening our longstanding partnership" between India and South Africa.
According to Jaishankar, the discussions focused on "opportunities in trade, investments, MSMEs, digital and infrastructure domains and both sides "also agreed that India and South Africa must work closely in international forums."
Earlier on Sunday, South Africa Deputy President Paul Mashatile, along with South Africa's Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Tembisa Ndabeni-Abrahams, visited Dilli Haat in the national capital as part of their ongoing visit to India from May 29 to June 3.
Mashatile's visit, along with his delegation at the open-air market, food plaza, and craft bazaar, was aimed at exploring the cultural and entrepreneurial landscape of India.
In a post on X, Mashatile said that he visited Dilli Haat to explore India's rich cultural heritage.
"As part of exploring the cultural heritage of India this morning, we visited Dilli Haat in New Delhi. Dilli Haat has become India's popular tourist destination where visitors enjoy live music, dance performances, and art exhibitions representing various states of India," the post read.
In a video shared along with the post, he added that the visit was aimed at understanding how India supports small and medium enterprises (SMEs), encourages innovation in the digital economy, and manages infrastructure.
"We came here to see how India developed its own society, looking at how they support small and medium enterprises, how they come up with innovations in the digital economy, and how they handle infrastructure, so we're meeting different companies that are involved in various sectors of the economy," he said.
The Deputy President arrived in India on Friday for a six-day working visit aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation and giving "fresh impetus" to India-South Africa ties.
He is scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President CP Radhakrishnan at Rashtrapati Bhavan during his stay.
