New Delhi, September 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
South African High Commissioner to India Anil Sooklal on Monday dismissed reports that he had been recalled to South Africa, saying he remains in India for a four-year diplomatic tenure that runs until the end of 2028.
Responding to reports suggesting that he could return to South Africa soon, Sooklal told IANS, “I am here as High Commissioner for a four-year tenure. I am completing two years at the end of September, so my tenure runs until the end of 2028. There is no such issue. There were some issues and misunderstandings, but they have been amicably settled.”
Sooklal said his appointment by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa reflected the President’s confidence in him to represent the country in India. He added that he would be “very pleased” to receive Ramaphosa when he arrives in New Delhi on Friday for the 18th BRICS Summit being hosted by India.
The South African envoy also described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an “exceptional leader” and said India’s development trajectory had gained significant momentum since Modi took office in 2014.
“Prime Minister Modi has been an exceptional leader for India. Since he took office in 2014, we have seen India’s growth move at an accelerated pace. But I think it is not just about India. Prime Minister Modi is also a leading global figure, and especially a leading figure of the Global South,” Sooklal said while sharing his views on Modi completing 25 years in public service.
Highlighting India’s growing global influence, Sooklal cited its G20 presidency as an example of Modi’s leadership and said the way India was steering the BRICS process demonstrated its leading position within the global community and the Global South.
He said Modi was “a leader who is highly respected throughout the world”.
On South Africa’s position in the G20, Sooklal rejected any suggestion that the country was seeking full membership, saying it was already a full member and had never ceased to be one.
“South Africa is a founding member of the G20,” he said, recalling that the country was among the nations that founded the grouping at the finance ministers’ level following the Asian financial crisis of 1997.
Sooklal said the G20 was a consensus-based organisation and argued that the US decision to exclude South Africa from this year’s summit was contrary to the principles that had guided the grouping since its inception.
“South Africa will take up its rightful place under the UK’s presidency of the G20 in 2027, and we have no doubt that we will be welcomed because that is where we belong,” he said.
Asked whether South Africa would attend this year’s G20 Summit, Sooklal said, “No. We were not invited. It was a unilateral measure taken by the current presidency.”
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