Activists and scholars say the BRICS bloc is not working-class friendly and will further the status quo instead of providing a viable alternative.

Speakers at civil society's BRICS-from-below dialogues, which preceded a protest march against wars, human rights violations, inequality and climate change, highlighted problematic methods of governance that suppress working-class people.

From India violating human rights in Kashmir and Russia invading Ukraine, to China funding fossil fuel projects across Africa, the BRICS bloc leaves activists with much to be desired. They suggest that the bloc upholds the current world order instead of creating a new citizen-friendly world order.

Makhadzi Tshivuwa is an heir to the land where the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) is being developed. She says the developers spoke to people who don't own the land and the rightful owners only found out in the media that they would be displaced.

"They are going to destroy our heritage site, our indigenous plants and flora like the baobab and marula trees. They want to remove our graves; in African culture, we do not do that, we do not move resting people. We will not have a say in this [development], while it will destroy our lives," Tshivuwa said.

She was one of many activists at the BRICS-from-below event, which was held at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) on Tuesday....