Politics · India Bureau
South Africa's Ramaphosa highlights India ties at Vedanta mine expansion
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasized the deep historical and democratic bonds between India and South Africa, while inaugurating a major expansion of an Indian mining operation in the country's Northern Cape province.
LSN India ·
President Ramaphosa made the remarks on Friday at the opening of Vedanta's Gamsberg Phase II concentrator plant in Aggeneys, attended by Indian High Commissioner Prabhat Kumar and Consul General Ruby Jaspreet Singh, alongside other senior officials.
The president stressed that India and South Africa remain "bound together" by shared historical ties and common commitment to democratic values. The comments underscore efforts to deepen bilateral cooperation between the two nations across multiple sectors.
The Gamsberg Phase II expansion represents a significant investment commitment to South Africa's mining sector. According to India's Consulate General in Cape Town, the project involved an investment of approximately 10 billion South African rand—equivalent to around Rs 5,757 crore—making it one of the country's largest mining investments in the past decade.
The concentrator plant is designed to separate valuable minerals from mined ore, producing concentrated material for further processing. At the Gamsberg facility, zinc concentrate undergoes additional refinement to produce high-grade zinc metal for industrial applications.
The inauguration reflects continued Indian corporate investment in South Africa's resource sector and signals broader economic engagement between the two nations.