Brics summit: Heavy security for world leaders

With patrolling blue-uniformed police officers on horseback, in armoured vehicles, bikes, vans and on foot, organisers took no chances in securing the Brics 15th leaders’ summit.

Cement slabs and wire fences were yesterday used to seal off Alice Lane and Maude and West Streets bordering the Sandton International Convention Centre, the venue for the three-day summit where resolutions are hoped to usher a new world order in trade, investment, new membership and cultural exchange.

A handful of anti-Ukraine war protesters – seen being escorted by police from Maude Street to “a designated protesting area” – seemed insignificant in the presence of crowds of delegates, a convoy of cars and security forces.

But one demonstrator put her point across: lifting a placard in the blue-and-yellow Ukraine flag colours, she said: “I am protesting to raise awareness of the war in Ukraine, Russia’s invasion and the human rights abuses going on in eastern Ukraine.”

The day was marked by security: SA Military ambulances and patrolling amaPanyaza (the new squad of Gauteng police wardens) were also visible in West Street, heading towards Nelson Mandela Square.

With several white-and-blue Brics posters mounted on street poles, you could not miss the venue which has attracted global attention. Inside a large media centre, journalists could be offered Brics bags, with beverages and refreshments on sale.

Writing in the Ubuntu Brics publication, distributed at the summit, under the headline “towards a just world order”, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, said: “There is a need for an honest partnership that rejects any exclusivity, especially an aggressive one.

“In this context, Russia has consistently stood for strengthening the position of the African continent in a multipolar world order. We will support our African friends in their aspirations to play an increasingly significant role in resolving their key problems of our time.”

Brics, said Lavrov, did not aim to replace existing multilateral mechanisms, “much less to become a new ‘collective hegemon’.”

“On the contrary, Brics countries have consistently advocated for the creation of conditions for the development of all states, which exclude the bloc logic of the cold war and zero-sum geopolitical games, he wrote.

“Brics seeks to offer inclusive solutions, based on a participatory approach,” said Lavrov. SA chair of Brics President Cyril Ramaphosa wrote in the same publication:

“The value of South Africa’s membership of Brics has grown substantially since we joined this group of emerging economies 13 years ago.

“There is much to be gained from our membership and the relationship we have established with other member countries. “From the outset, Brics countries identified the strengthening of economic and financial ties as one of the key pillars of its cooperation,” Ramaphosa wrote.

“The countries have adopted the Strategy for Brics Economic Partnership to increase access to each other’s markets, promote mutual trade and investment – creating a business-friendly environment for investors.

“An important part of the strategy, particularly for SA, is to diversify trade, so that more manufactured goods, rather than raw commodities, are traded.”

Ramaphosa said South African exports to other Brics countries, have recorded strong growth since 2016 (7.1% per annum on average) reaching $17.6 billion (about R330 billion) last year”.

The principal contributor to such growth, was exports to China over this period.

“In 2022, about 21.2% of South Africa’s total trade – exports and imports – with the world at large, took place with other Brics countries, 67.4% of which with China; 26.8% with India, 4.1% with Brazil and 1.6% with Russia.”