Indo-South African ties to zoom under Zuma By Kiran Mamgain

Pretoria, May 11 (PTI) India's ties with South Africa
are set to witness an upswing with the inauguration of
President Jacob Zuma, who has made it clear that the countries
which strongly supported the anti-apartheid movement will
remain special for his government.

In a speech made at his swearing-in ceremony on
Saturday, Zuma had reached out to all those countries which
helped South Africa in its struggle against the former
apartheid regime in the early 1990s.

"Zuma referred very clearly to that small group of
countries, including India," Vice President Hamid Ansari told
reporters on board his special aircraft, describing the
inauguration of the first Zulu head of the state of South
Africa as a "historic occasion".

"The most significant ties India has in Africa are
with South Africa," top officials, who accompanied Ansari on
his visit here for the swearing-in ceremony of Zuma, said.

Officials said Indo-South African trade and business
ties are poised to grow with Indian companies using this
country as a base to promote their business in Africa.

"Indian Industry is taking a lot of interest in South
Africa," Nalin Surie, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of
External Affairs, said.

Major companies like Tata, Mahindra and Ranbaxy are
among the 40 Indian firms which have a presence here,
according to Indian High Commissioner R K Bhatia.

Bhatia noted that the bilateral trade in the year
2007-08 stood at USD 6.2 billion, of which 3.5 per cent was
South African exports to India while the rest accounted for
the Indian exports to this country.

In the latest fiscal, the approximate figures for the
first six months show that the bilateral trade has gone up by
11 per cent while South African exports to India have risen by
22 per cent. However, there is a 14 per cent decline in Indian
exports to this country following the global financial crisis.

Besides trade, officials felt that Zuma's assumption
of office will take forward the bilateral ties in sectors like
culture and tourism.

Reflecting the importance India accords to the
relationship with South Africa, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
has visited this rainbow nation twice in the past two-and-a-
half years. Zuma too has visited India twice in recent years.

Ansari's visit here was the "significant continuation"
of that, Bhatia said. "In the new era (with Zuma as South
African President) our relationship will move forward."

The inauguration of the 67-year-old charismatic ANC
leader, who lead his party to a landslide win in the April 22
general elections, had commenced with the recitation of the
sacred 'Gayatri Mantra' by a religious leader.

Ansari said the 1.5 million Indian-origin people in South
Africa are very much part of the society of this country.

Hours after Ansari left Johannesburg, Zuma unveiled his
cabinet inducting six India-origin leaders, including
anti-apartheid activist Pravin Gordhan, who was given the key
portfolio of Finance.

South Africans of Indian-origin will next year celebrate
150 years of arrival of their fore-fathers from India to work
as indentured labourers in the sugar plantations of Natal.

"There is enough documented evidence about the policies
since 1994 of creating a democratic society in South Africa
and credit must be given to African National Congress
leadership... Presidents after Presidents who have reiterated
this policy. President Zuma has also reiterated this," the
Vice President said.

To another question, Ansari said the business conditions
in South Africa have certainly deteriorated in the last one
year. "Budgetary deficit is one of the challenges that the new
president (Zuma) will have to address," he said.

The Vice President, who was accompanied by his wife
Salma during his three-day visit to South Africa which ended
yesterday, also invited Zuma to visit India.

Zuma told Ansari that his inauguration would not have
been complete without the participation of India. PTI KIM
DEP
NNNN