This year, President Cyril Ramaphosa and the South African government will assume the presidency of the multilateral group: BRICS. Pretoria will host the BRICS Summit in August 2023. This is taking place at a time where the group is undergoing several changes. Brazil has just inaugurated President Lula da Silva on New Year’s Day. As of December 2022, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi assumes the presidency of the G20 group. China has just sworn in their new Foreign Minister, Qin Gang who is currently on a seven-day tour of the African continent. China and Russia have been working together to solidify their bilateral agreements in light of the Ukrainian conflict.

Given the shifting sands, there are a number of countries who have expressed their interest in becoming new members of the group: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran and Argentina. To unpack these developments and what they mean to the group in the coming year, we are joined by…

Guest: Prof. Patrick Bond - Political Economist and Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg

Guest: Prof. Anthoni Nieuwkerk - Professor in International Relations and Security at the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs (UNISA)