Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left on Saturday on a four-day trip to South Africa aimed at enhancing cultural and economic ties between the two countries.
Singh is scheduled to inaugurate the centenary celebrations of the launch of the Satyagraha peaceful resistance movement by Mahatma Gandhi during his trip.
Gandhi, leader of India’s movement for independence from British rule, had pioneered the concept of non-violent resistance against political and racial oppression in South Africa.
The movement later ended in independence for India and laid the ground for the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.
Singh is scheduled to visit Pietermaritzburg, where Gandhi was thrown off the first-class compartment of a train because of his colour in 1893, and the Phoenix settlement near Durban where he started an agricultural commune.
The Indian prime minister is also scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with South African President Thabo Mbeki on strengthening ties between their two countries, officials said.
Agreements in areas such as railways, education, science and technology, are expected to be signed during the visit.
A proposed Preferential Trade Agreement with the five-nation South African Customs Union is still under negotiation.
Bilateral trade between India and South Africa currently stands at $4-billion, but both sides feel there is room to grow that figure.
Indian officials said efforts would be made to attract South African investment in areas such as telecommunications, information technology, textiles and pharmaceuticals sectors.
The possibility of cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear energy will also be explored, the officials said.
India and South Africa have been recently cooperating on international issues such as United Nations reforms under the India-Brazil-South Africa forum.
Singh’s visit to South Africa will be the first by an Indian prime minister in nine years. He is expected to return to India on Tuesday. — Sapa-dpa