The BRICS summit was held in South Africa a few months ago. Picture: GCIS
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor says the country spent more than R104 million to host the BRICS summit in Johannesburg a few months ago.
This was the third BRICS summit that South Africa had hosted since it joined the bloc more than 10 years ago.
It hosted the first summit in 2013, followed by another one in 2018, and this year it was South Africa’s turn again.
Next year, the BRICS meeting will take place in Russia. This will be with new members after the August gathering in Sandton agreed to the membership of Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
Pandor, who was replying to a written parliamentary question from DA MP Emma Powell, said government spent more than R104 million for the summit.
“The expenditure incurred by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation in the hosting of the XV BRICS Summit was R104,350,405.79,” said Pandor.
She added that they did not contribute to the hosting of the BRICS Parliamentary forum.
The summit was attended by a number of countries from Africa.
Regional bodies across the world also took part in the conference.
The leaders of BRICS had agreed to the expansion, with six new members to join formally in January next year.
More than 19 countries had expressed interest in joining BRICS, but leaders of the bloc said they would only take the first group now.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Politics