India, South Africa to deepen ties; Mashatile meets Jaishankar, VP

South African Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile met Vice President CP Radhakrishnan and EAM S Jaishankar to deepen bilateral ties in trade, investments, and digital domains. He also visited Dilli Haat to study India's SME support.

SA Deputy President Holds High-Level Meetings in Delhi

South African Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile alongwith his delegation, on Tuesday met Vice President CP Radhakrishnan. Earlier, Mashatile met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

According to Jaishankar, both leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in various sectors and agreed to work closely in international forums.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said he was "pleased to meet" Mashatile and appreciated his "strong commitment to deepening our longstanding partnership" between India and South Africa.

Pleased to meet with Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile @PMashatile of the Republic of South Africa along with his delegation in New Delhi today. Appreciate his strong commitment to deepening our longstanding partnership. Discussed opportunities in trade, investments,… pic.twitter.com/dGiBzoWtDU — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 2, 2026

According to Jaishankar, the discussions focused on "opportunities in trade, investments, MSMEs, digital and infrastructure domains and both sides "also agreed that India and South Africa must work closely in international forums."

Exploring India's Economic and Cultural Fabric

Earlier on Sunday, South Africa Deputy President Paul Mashatile, along with South Africa's Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Tembisa Ndabeni-Abrahams, visited Dilli Haat in the national capital as part of their ongoing visit to India from May 29 to June 3.

Mashatile's visit, along with his delegation at the open-air market, food plaza, and craft bazaar, was aimed at exploring the cultural and entrepreneurial landscape of India.

In a post on X, Mashatile said that he visited Dilli Haat to explore India's rich cultural heritage. "As part of exploring the cultural heritage of India this morning, we visited Dilli Haat in New Delhi. Dilli Haat has become India's popular tourist destination where visitors enjoy live music, dance performances, and art exhibitions representing various states of India," the post read.

In a video shared along with the post, he added that the visit was aimed at understanding how India supports small and medium enterprises (SMEs), encourages innovation in the digital economy, and manages infrastructure. "We came here to see how India developed its own society, looking at how they support small and medium enterprises, how they come up with innovations in the digital economy, and how they handle infrastructure, so we're meeting different companies that are involved in various sectors of the economy," he said.

The Deputy President arrived in India on Friday for a six-day working visit aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation and giving "fresh impetus" to India-South Africa ties.

He is scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President CP Radhakrishnan at Rashtrapati Bhavan during his stay. The visit itinerary also includes engagements in Hyderabad before the delegation's departure on June 3. (ANI)

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