OVERVIEW: Vladimir Putin says Mandela's legacy reflected in Brics

The open sessions of the leaders meeting has come to a close. Each of the five Brics heads of state gave a short five minute statement. 

They have now moved to a separate room for the signing of memorandums.

The party's proposed excursion to the Cradle of Humankind outside of Johannesburg has been cancelled, says Ramaphosa, due to the "logistical arrangements being a bit difficult".

Instead the Brics leaders are linked to Maropeng via Satellite. 

Its back to Ramaphosa for some final words. 

He says that, following a proposal by Putin, the five leaders have agreed to deepen a 'people to people' component. 

"We should have a Brics sports process in a number of sporting codes," says Ramaphosa, saying that the popularity of sports that each country specialises in can spread between the different countries.

The details of the sport and cultural meetings will still be ironed out, says Ramaphosa. He adds that the leaders congratulated Putin for the successful hosting of the 2018 World Cup. 

Russia was knocked out by Croatia in the Quarter-Finals. 

He says the Russian team's performance was "truly outstanding'. 

Modi says workers need to be upskilled. 

"It will be extremely necessary to bring about changes in the skills of our workers. We need to make rapid changes in our policies .. related to skills development," he says.  

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi is the last of the five heads of state to speak. He starts by saying that the world will be 'flatter' due to the consequences of the 4th Industrial Revolution. 

"Those [countries] that can make the most of this, will make the most progress,' he says. "Talent will be more important than capital". 

Putin is talking about the importance of digitisation for the Russian economy. 

"In the environment of digital realities, it is very important to guarantee the safety of business and our citizens," he says. "We take necessary measures - legislative and other measures - in order to achieve a situation [for] the creation of a safe and reliable internet environment".

He talks about the importance of the protection of digital information and private life in the private sphere. 

President Vladimir Putin starts by praising former President Nelson Mandela. "During his entire life, he has been upholding and protecting the principles of equality, openness and fairness." 

"Mr Mandela's legacy is reflected in the activities if Brics."  

"We must all be ready and prepared for a more speedy and flexible word," says Temer, according to a translation of his remarks. 

He says the biggest asset of a country has become the ability of its citizens to assimilate and coordinate knowledge in a "relevant and swift manner". 

Xi says that an "escalation of protectionism and unilateralism" is affecting the development potential of emerging markets. 

The Chinese president argues that, given the rapid rate of technological charge characterising the 4th industrial revolution, more and closer global cooperation is needed. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping is now speaking, and starts with the benefits of the previous three industrial revolutions and  have improved global living standards. 

"Today we are experiencing another revolution in science, technology and industry," he says. 

Ramaphosa is speaking about the 4th industrial revolution. The theme of the summit was 'Brics in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution'. 

He says that governments must upskill workforces in the face of major technological advances. 

Journalists are being escorted to the open session briefing, meaning it may start fairly soon.

Everyone seems to have become confused around the schedule. 

Apart from host Ramaphosa, there is no confirmation yet about which of the other heads of state will speak. The carefully managed briefing will include short statements by leaders, and likely the signing the of Johannesburg Declaration. 

It has not made provisions for questions from journalists. 

ANC Treasurer-General Paul Mashatile, speaking at a business briefing on Thursday morning, invited private investors to take up equity stakes in state-owned companies. 

The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi arrived at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria on Wednesday to attend the summit. (GCIS, DIRCO). 

Modi's visit to South Africa came after he earlier visited Rwanda and Uganda. 

The meeting of the five heads of state comes after speakers at previous panels roundly criticised the imposition of tariffs on Chinese exports by US President Donald Trump. 

"Brics cooperation will be a solution to [the] challenge of de-globalisation,” said chairperson of the Bank of China Chen Siqing, according to a translated version of his opening address, at a panel discussion on Tuesday. 

Leslie Maasdorp, vice-president and chief financial officer at the New Development Bank - commonly known as the Brics bank, said on Tuesday that globalisation was "irreversible", and the protectionist path adopted by the US will only see the country become more isolated.

On Wednesday Chinese President Xi delivered an address that criticised US trade policies while not mentioning Trump or the US by name. 

"We BRICS countries should firmly promote an open world economy, be resolute in rejecting unilateralism and protectionism, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and jointly steer the global economy toward greater openness, inclusiveness, balanced growth and win-win outcomes for all," he said, according to a translated version of his remarks.  

President Cyril Ramaphosa and his counterparts from Brazil, Russia, India and China are set to meet in Johannesburg for the second day of the 2018 Brics Summit, which brings together leaders and businesses from the five major emerging economies. 

According to the official schedule, Ramaphosa will deliver a statement at 11:15. Then what the programme refers to as "others Brics heads of state" will give short statements. 

After remarks by Iqbal Surve, chair of the Brics Business Council, and KV Kamath, president of the New Development Bank, the Brics heads of state will adopt the Johannesburg Declaration, which will bradly set out their goals and views. 

The 10th Brics summit is also being attended by a number of representatives from invited African countries, including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Gabon, Senegal and Togo.

Turkey's President Recep Erdogan arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the summit. He and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are expected to hold talks on the sidelines of the events. 

The leaders' meeting at the 10th Brics Summit in Joahnnesburg comes a day after President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping addressed the Brics Business Forum, where they criticised countries that act unilaterally in trade deals.

"We are meeting here, ladies and gentlemen, at a time when the multilateral trading system is facing unprecedented challenges. We are concerned by the rise in unilateral measures that are incompatible with World Trade Organisation rules, and we are worried about the impact of these measures, especially as they impact on developing countries and economies," said Ramaphosa. 

Xi, who spoke after Ramaphosa, said that protectionism was on the rise. "Unilateralism and protectionism are mounting, dealing a severe blow to multilateralism and the multilateral trading regime."