South Africa is hosting the three-day BRICS Summit in Johannesburg this week, with BRICS expansion high on the agenda. BRICS officials say that more than 20 countries have officially applied to join the BRICS group, with over 40 queuing up to join the bloc.

Why are countries lining up to join BRICS? What alternatives will the bloc offer to Africa and the rest of the Global South?

In CGTN Radio's special program of BRICS, host Xu Yawen is joined by South African journalist Pearl Buthelezi, Russian journalist Konstantin Shepin, and Chinese journalist Huang Jiyuan to find out the answers.