South Africa moves to protect airspace ahead of BRICS Summit

16 Aug 2023

Plans have been rolled out to tighten security and ensure that all the international guests at the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg are able to travel without any risks.

There have been strict instructions to enforce rigid controls over South African airspace when the country welcomes heads of state, ministers and diplomats from Brazil, Russia, India and China in the coming week at the BRICS Summit.

A notice has been issued to protect the airspace near the summit venue, the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, throughout the duration of the gathering.

The South African Civil Aviation Authority has issued an Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) announcing that the airspace in a two-nautical mile radius around the Sandton Convention Centre will be restricted between 7am and 7pm when the summit takes place from 22-24 August. This means that no civilian aircraft or remotely piloted aircraft (drones) will be permitted in that airspace during those hours on those two days.

Speaking to Daily Maverick on Wednesday, Linden Birns, the managing director of the PR company Plane Talking, explained that it was not unusual for this type of notice to be issued.

“It was issued when there was a World Cup and when the United Nations Summit was held here,” he said.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to attend the summit.

Last month, the Presidency formally announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be present. Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, will attend the summit physically while Putin will follow proceedings virtually.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Iran’s president will probably attend BRICS Summit, says SA’s Pandor

BRICS expansion

A key issue expected to be discussed at the forum is whether BRICS will expand its membership.

There has been growing interest in joining the bloc and 22 countries have formally applied to be part of it.

Speaking to Bloomberg on Monday, South Africa’s ambassador to BRICS, Anil Sooklal, dubbed the country’s BRICS Sherpa, gave an update on the discussions concerning expansion. He hinted it was highly likely that there would be expansion.

“We almost have convergence and consensus on the four areas that leaders tasked Sherpas to look at. That is, guiding principles, standard criteria and procedures as well as models of expansion. There are one or two areas where we do not have convergence in terms of the global multilateral architecture.

“As you know, this is a complex issue and I am confident that we will have convergence and this exercise will be completed in time for our foreign ministers to make firm recommendations on expansion,” Sooklal said.

China and Russia are reported to support the expansion, while India and Brazil have been sceptical about the move.

The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure is scheduled to brief the media on Thursday on safety and security matters related to the summit. DM

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