KZN MEC says visit by Indian Prime Minister will strengthen ties
KZN Human Settlements MEC Ravi Pillay has described the visit by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a consolidation of the relationship between South Africa and India.
Modi will today be spending the day in Pietermaritzburg - concluding the day in Durban - where he will meet with Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini and KZN Premier Willies Mchunu. MEC Pillay says this is a historic visit.
"India is in a new space globally, not just as part of BRICS, but a super-power in its own right. Of course there is a historical connection between India and South Africa and we are here where Mahatma Gandhi had that historic life-changing experience," he said.
"Of course there is a unique aspect of KZN in terms of the intense concentration of South Africans who are of Indian origin and so there is that bond as well," Pillay said.
"So it is indeed a special day but is also something that builds and consolidates for future relationships," he said.
Meanwhile representatives from the South African Minority Rights Equality Movement have been locked out of the Pietermaritzburg Train Station where the Prime Minister is due to arrive. It is allegedly over welcoming placards they are carrying which are calling for larger representation of Indian children and schools and universities.
(Photo: Twitter)