External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj left for a five-day visit to South Africa, on June 2, to attend the foreign ministers meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) She will also be chairing the foreign ministers meeting of IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa).
"The External Affairs Minister will participate in the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting on June 4, 2018, and chair the IBSA Foreign Ministers Meeting. She would also participate in a series of events on June 6-7, 2018 at Pietermaritzburg, South Africa to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the historic incident in the train compartment that became a catalyst for Gandhiji's Satyagraha movement." the MEA press release stated.
While on the visit, Swaraj will be attending an event that marks the 125th anniversary of the incident in which Mahatma Gandhi was thrown off a train at the Pietermaritzburg railway station. The incident played a major role in Gandhi's fight against racism in South Africa and even became a catalyst for his Satyagraha movement.
The year 2018 is a crucial year in the bilateral relations between India and South Africa as it marks the 25 years of establishment of its diplomatic relations. It also marks the 100 birth centenary of the former South African president and world leader Nelson Mandela.
"The two-day commemoration activities will also include release of joint commemorative stamps on Oliver Tambo and Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and a Youth Summit where 20 diaspora youth from Africa and 5 from India will participate to speak on the relevance of Gandhiji's message of peace to the youth of today," MEA stated.
