Senior government officials from Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Comoros, Gabon, Burundi and Guinea-Bissau are among more than a dozen countries, mostly from the global south like Saudi Arabia and Iran, who have expressed interest in joining the BRICS bloc of nations. BRICS, which now comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is considering expanding its membership as it positions itself as a counterweight to the West. The friends of BRICS were welcomed to Cape Town by South Africa's foreign affairs minister, Naledi Pandor, ahead of hosting the 15th summit in Johannesburg in August.