Johannesburg, Feb 24 (IANS): As part of preparations to host the BRICS summit next month, South African has launched a road show to educate its citizens about the importance of the meet.

South Africa's BRICS membership will assist the country to address its challenges, Minister of Science and Technology Derek Hanekom said at the launch here.

"BRICS membership is not an event but a movement. They are long term achievements and not things which have to be achieved overnight," Xinhua quoted him as saying.

"The membership will help us as a country to address unemployment, poverty and inequality."

It will also assist the country in meeting the Millennium Development Goals, Hanekom said.

South Africa will host the 5th BRICS Summit in Durban March 26-27. BRICS is an economic bloc representing five of the world's leading emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The government has organised similar road shows in all the other provinces to promote the BRICS Summit.

Hanekom said the BRICS countries were also trying to do good to humanity and improve governance and it is imperative for South Africa to be part of shaping global development.

Nomvula Makonyane, the premier of Gauteng province, said the friendship with BRICS countries have assisted the countries in various sectors like renewable energy and employment creation.