Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Rahul Gandhi Saturday met South African president Cyril Ramaphosa here and are learnt to have discussed issues of mutual interest.

Ramaphosa, who is in the national capital as the chief guest for the 70th Republic Day celebrations, discussed issues of mutual interest with Gandhi and also with Singh.

The South African president, who is also the president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) also invited Gandhi to his country and he accepted.

"President Ramaphosa invited Shri Rahul Gandhi to visit South Africa and the invitation was accepted and the details worked by the Foreign Affairs departments of the two parties," said senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, who also also present during the meeting.

"President Ramaphosa lauded India's role in the fight against Apartheid. Both, the ANC president and Congress president Rahul Gandhi reaffirmed the commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two fraternal parties," the former Union minister said.

Sharma said the two parties have century old historic ties and had a discussion on party-to-party, regional and global issues during the discussions between Ramaphosa and Gandhi.

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