BRICS Summit 2023: Cost of Hosting Summit Justified, Says Government

The South African government has defended the cost of hosting the 15th BRICS Summit, saying it brought great economic benefits to the country.

The South African government has defended the cost of hosting the 15th BRICS Summit, saying it brought significant economic benefits to the country. The summit, which took place in Johannesburg in July, cost the government over R104 million (about 48 million US dollars). However, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said in a statement on Thursday that the economic benefits to the city of Johannesburg far outweighed the cost.

Benefits of Hosting BRICS Summit

DIRCO said that South Africa provided courtesy support to only four delegates per country, while all other delegations paid fully for their accommodation, meals, and other expenses. The department also noted that the BRICS Summit is the most important collective of emerging nations and that it was South Africa's responsibility as a member state to host the event. South Africa gained numerous benefits from hosting the summit, including:

• Strengthening partnerships between BRICS members and African countries
• Support for the African Union's Agenda 2063
• Operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area
• Addressing poverty, unemployment, and inequality through increased intra-BRICS trade, investment, tourism, capacity building, skills, and technology transfers

South Africa's overall trade with its BRICS partners increased by 10% every year during 2017-2021. The total South African trade with BRICS reached R830 billion (45 billion US dollars) in 2022, up from R487 billion (46 billion US dollars) in 2017. Last year, other BRICS nations accounted for 21% of South Africa's global trade.

Opposition Criticism

The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) had criticised the government for spending R104 million on the summit, saying the money could have been better spent on addressing the crippling cost of living crisis in South Africa. DA MP Emma Louise Powell said the amount was staggering, especially when considering the additional R75 million spent by the South African Police Service (SAPS) on protecting attendees at the summit.

However, DIRCO said that Powell misunderstood the economic benefits of hosting such international conferences and meetings. The department said that while the cost of hosting the summit was significant, the economic benefits to Johannesburg outweighed the expense.

The South African government believes that the cost of hosting the BRICS Summit was justified given the significant economic benefits the country gained. The summit provided a platform for South Africa to strengthen its partnerships with BRICS members and African countries, and to promote trade, investment, and tourism. The government also believes that the summit helped to raise South Africa's profile on the global stage.