Monday, December 12 2005 14:30 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Durban: A South African delegation is visiting India to promote trade, business and cultural links between the two nations and to sign an MoU with the Punjab government.

The 20-member delegation, led by KwaZulu-Natal province premier Sbu Ndebele along with other ministers and business leaders, will be arriving in Mumbai today, the premier's spokesperson Thabang Chiloane said here yesterday (December 12, 2005).

The spokesman said the main purpose of the delegation's visit was to ink an MoU with the Punjab government.

"The premier will sign the MOU in order to promote trade, business, arts and culture and agriculture", he said.

Ndebele is scheduled to meet President Kalam in New Delhi and will also visit the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Chiloane said.

"In Tamil Nadu, the premier would present tsunami victims with keys to new houses. The funds for this initiative had been raised by the South African Tamil Federation," he said.

'The committee had felt that funds should be used to provide something tangible to victims," he added.

Senior police official and KwaZulu-Natal SATF president Bala Naidoo is also expected to renew talks with Punjab government police officials on community policing, the spokesperson said.

According to Chiloane, Ndebele is keen to tap the rich potential of Indians in various fields for the benefit of the people of KwaZulu-Natal, most of whom are rural-based.

Most of the 1.2 million people of Indian origin in South Africa live in KwaZulu-Natal province.