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Global challenges, such as counter-terrorism, transnational crimes and cybersecurity, have taken centre stage at the Friends of BRICS National Security Advisors Meeting with her BRICS Security counterparts in Johannesburg, South Africa.

  
Minister in the Presidency responsible for the State Security Agency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, on Monday hosted a Friends of BRICS National Security Advisors high-level Meeting to discuss national security and global challenges, among other issues.

 
The Friends of BRICS meeting is convened as a build-up to the upcoming 15th BRICS Leaders' Summit and is constituted of all Security Ministers of the BRICS countries and Friends of BRICS countries which include Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Friends of BRICS are a combination of countries who have expressed an interest in joining BRICS; those who chair prominent institutions of the Global South and those invited at the Chair's prerogative. They are invited after consensus is reached between the host and fellow BRICS members.

Among the issues discussed at this meeting were the agreement amongst all delegates that cybersecurity remains a crucial element of cooperation and that the architecture supporting a safer cybersecurity environment needs to be inclusive and accessible to all countries.

While there are both new and old challenges confronting BRICS, Ntshavheni said these present an opportunity to create an environment and world order that reinforces mutual benefit and global development that is inclusive.

“There are also challenges that are persistent and affect all of us as a global family. We must reinforce the way we do things through both the BRICS and the multilateral system of the United Nations, as we deal with challenges such as counter-terrorism, transnational crimes and cybersecurity,” the Minister said. 

In welcoming the delegates to the meeting, Ntshavheni hoped that the day’s engagements would generate an enduring partnership among all countries involved.

 
"We hope that the engagements we are going to have today on issues that are common to all of us will generate an enduring partnership and commitment to a friendship that will ultimately result in enhanced global development and strengthened global resilience and global peace,” she said. 

The Minister said the historic meeting is held during a time when geopolitics have taken centre stage and are affecting and impacting the development of national interests.

“It is a historic meeting because it is a first physical meeting after three years of the COVID-19 pandemic and a meeting that includes the friends of BRICS to focus on matters of common interest and mutual benefit.  This will generate enduring partnerships resulting in enhanced global development and strengthened global resilience and global peace”

“This is a time for us to seek resilience and extend friendship to our people, and it is for that reason that South Africa deemed it fit to invite the Friends of BRICS to join us so that we can converge as a family and chart a way forward together for global resilience and global peace and for mutual development and innovation,” Ntshavheni said. 

Following the closed meeting held earlier in the day, the BRICS members held several bi-laterals amongst themselves and Friends of BRICS countries on various other issues and interests that concern the individual countries. It is expected that such engagements will continue into the future on matters of common interest between these countries.

Ntshavheni said the Friends of BRICS platform offers an opportunity for a mutually inclusive, secure and beneficial environment, which is conducive for global peace and development.

"Where a child of Africa can develop and have access to opportunities like a child of China, India, Brazil and Russia and other countries under conditions of meaningful cooperation," she said. – SAnews.gov.za 

President Cyril Ramaphosa says although South Africa continues to rank in the top five African countries with the best infrastructure, more can be done to improve its development.

The President was addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter on Monday.

He highlighted that good infrastructure can be the foundation of greater and faster economic growth and addressing poverty.

“However for this world class infrastructure to continue to support our developmental goals, it has to be properly, effectively and efficiently maintained. And decisions on infrastructure investment have to respond to the growing need and upgraded appropriately.

“We have good quality infrastructure, but in far too many instances it is not being properly maintained and upgraded. Last year, the South African Institution of Civil Engineering gave the country’s social infrastructure a D rating, with E being failed or failing. Passenger rail scored particularly low, achieving an E,” he said.

The President warned that neglecting infrastructure maintenance can have “detrimental consequences”.

“We are seeing accidents, disease outbreaks and other tragedies that in a number of instances have been associated with dilapidated infrastructure.

“The maintenance of public infrastructure is often the responsibility of local government. It remains of concern that municipalities are failing to spend conditional grants allocated to them for maintenance and upgrades of infrastructure.

“Infrastructure Grant was being spent by municipalities. This grant is for upgrading and building new infrastructure and rehabilitating existing infrastructure,” he said.

President Ramaphosa said municipalities, particularly those that are smaller, do not have the capacity to implement infrastructure plans.

He added that however, there are those municipalities “spending conditional grants successfully and timeously”.

“For example, approximately 91% of funding allocated to municipalities to fund reconstruction and rehabilitation after floods in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal was spent by the respective municipalities.

“This illustrates that with the necessary support, technical assistance, planning and coordination, the problem of municipal underspending on public infrastructure can be overcome,” he said.

In this regard, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, National Treasury and provincial and national government continue to step up support for municipalities.

“Because of its vital developmental function, we continue to prioritise investment in infrastructure across government. Construction is underway on several bulk water, housing, energy and roads projects. Together with better infrastructure maintenance, we are determined that these investments will make a big difference in people’s lives.

“When social infrastructure is well-maintained not only do citizens benefit, but businesses are also supported and the economy as a whole grows and develops,” President Ramaphosa said. – SAnews.gov.za