CAPE TOWN - The outgoing chair of the South African chapter of the BRICS Business Council, Dr Iqbal Survé, has hailed the achievements of the chapter which included the very successful hosting of the annual meeting which took place in KwaZulu-Natal earlier in the year.
In a statement on behalf of the outgoing BRICS Business Council, Survé, also chairman of the Sekunjalo Group, described it as an "honour and a privilege" to have served the country through the Council "and for me to have had the opportunity to lead it during the last year".
"During this time, we have worked collaboratively to build the BRICS Business Council and have developed close ties with our colleagues in the BRICS countries, as a result.”
The BRICS nations comprise of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Survé thanked all outgoing members of the South African BRICS Business Council for their "unwavering commitment and dedication to serving their country through the Council".
"The outgoing Council held a successful Annual Meeting in Kwazulu-Natal in July 2018 and collaborated with the Province and other stakeholders, in executing this important annual deliverable of the Council, which brought together over 400 business representatives from the BRICS countries."
Survé said: “We have been party to many successes in the BRICS Business Council such as the MOU on Strategic Cooperation with the New Development Bank signed in 2017; the ongoing and important discussions in relation to the BRICS Credit Rating Agency; the New International Payment System (NIPS); the Roadmap on Cooperation in Eliminating Trade Barriers and the proposed BRICS Business Women’s Alliance, referred to in the Johannesburg Declaration.
"These are but a few of the important initiatives that have arisen directly within the framework of the BRICS Business Council.”
Survé said that many of these initiatives will be taken forward by the newly reconstituted Council in partnership with the Council chapters, through the nine Working Groups, that constitute the engine of the BRICS Business Council.
The statement also made reference to a report in the City Press newspaper at the weekend which reported on the reconstitution of the South African chapter of the BRICS Business Council. "Protocol is that the DTI would have announced this, but the story gave the impression that no formal announcement had been made," the statement read.
"As clearly stated in the quote from the DTI spokesperson, communication with DTI and other stakeholders preceded the 10th BRICS Summit in which Dr Iqbal Survé, Chairman of the Sekunjalo Group, had advised of his intention to step down as Chairman of the Council, post the Summit and the need to review the BRICS Business Council, was agreed upon."