PRETORIA, July 18. /TASS/. The leaders of five BRICS member states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) will discuss the group’s expansion at a summit set to take place in Johannesburg in August, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

"As we speak now, close to 20 or so of others want to join BRICS and they want us to admit them into the BRICS family. So, at this summit, we are also going to be discussing the prospect of whether BRICS grows beyond the five countries or not," Ramaphosa, who will chair the upcoming summit, told the SABC radio station.

India’s Business Standard newspaper wrote earlier, citing sources, that Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia would join BRICS at the Johannesburg summit.

The BRICS summit will be held on August 22-24. Ramaphosa has sent invitations to the leaders of the five member states to arrive in South Africa for the meeting.