SA seeks to close India gap

India is one of South Africa’s most significant BRICS+ trading partners, accounting for 28.4% of South Africa’s BRICS+ trade in 2025. SA recorded a deficit of approximately $3.18 billion with India in the fiscal year ended March 2026, according to BRICS+ figures. Exports were dominated by coal, manganese and chemical wood pulp, while imports were concentrated in petroleum, vehicles, pharmaceuticals and machinery, according to BRICS Connect. “This imbalance should not be treated as a stubborn constraint, but as a practical commercial opportunity to move South African firms into higher-value exports, Indian supply chains, joint ventures, technology partnerships and skills-transfer arrangements,” said Busi Mabuza, chairman of the SA chapter of the BRICS Business Council and of the Industrial Development Corporation. “The delegation’s priority in India must be to reposition the relationship from a buyer-seller model into a structured programme of co-investment, technology collaboration, market access and human-capital development. India’s economy represents a market of approximately 1.4bn consumers, driven by rapid digitalisation, industrial expansion and a growing middle class. “South African enterprises must therefore enter the meetings with clear sector- specific mandates: a defined value proposition, proposed partnership model, export or investment ask, standards and certification requirements and the human-capital capabilities required to make each opportunity commercially executable,” she added. Major Indian exports to South Africa include vehicles and components, transport equipment, drugs and pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, footwear, dyes and intermediates, chemicals, textiles, rice, and gems and jewellery. India mainly imports gold, steam coal, copper ores and concentrates, phosphoric acid, manganese ore, aluminium ingots and other minerals from SA. SACU and India have been in negotiations for trade concessions since 2002, with sticking points being Indian exports of textiles and clothing, and SACU wanting access for agricultural products, according to Indian corporate lawyer Siddharth Gupta. They were revived in August when India and the five- member SACU countries signed terms of reference to start talks on a preferential trade agreement, with New Delhi wanting lower tariffs on exports including cars, pharmaceuticals and industrial machinery. The talks come at a time when the SA government is considering raising duties on vehicles made in India from 25% to 50% to support local manufacturers. ER