In South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg, preparations for hosting the world’s biggest economic players at the annual G20 (Group of 20) summit have been underway for weeks.
“The preparations were actually perfect. Anything else will be overkill,” Siphamandla Zondi, a professor of politics and international relations at the University of Johannesburg, told DW following a workshop on the G20 summit, which takes place on November 22–23.
Lindelani Mkhaliphi, a young South African who also took part in the workshop, said: “It does make me feel proud. We’re also representing the entirety of Africa.”
The first G20 summit to be held on African soil is a big moment for South Africa, which is trying to straddle its role as a BRICS member, while remaining a valued trade partner for Western democracies.
But for Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, president and CEO of the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), South Africa’s focus on solidarity, equality, and sustainability has been refreshing.
“It comes at a time when the world is starting to recognize that Africa is central to solving a lot of the global challenges,” Owusu-Gyamfi told DW, adding that “global growth and stability depend on whether the African continent’s trajectory is good or bad.”
She points to Africa’s fast growing, young population, its increasing share of the global workforce, and sovereignty over a “significant percentage of the critical minerals that we need for green growth.”
Why is the US boycotting the G20 in South Africa?
The United States will assume the G20 rotating presidency on December 1, but is boycotting the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
Washington’s relationship with South Africa has soured: First came crippling aid cuts through USAID in February, which affected thousands of vulnerable South Africans. Then Pretoria was singled out for high tariffs.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has asserted, without tangible evidence, that a genocide targeting white people is occurring in South Africa.
The South African government has denied that Afrikaners and other white South Africans are being persecuted.
Washington has also castigated Pretoria for its ongoing case at the International Court of Justice against Israel over its actions in the Gaza Strip.
But according to Menzi Ndhlovu, a political risk analyst at Signal Risk, skipping the G20 serves another function.
“This is about the delegitimization of South Africa, its leadership status, and its belonging in the upper echelons of the global power structures,” he said.
“The US, or Republicans rather, see South Africa as a country case of DEI [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion],” Ndhlovu told DW. “And the Republicans are opposed to DEI in America. So to make an example in the international arena, they have flagged South Africa.”
In February, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused South Africa of “using the G20 to promote ‘solidarity, equality, & sustainability.’ In other words: DEI and climate change,” which he said were “anti-Americanisms.”
Many other G20 attendees still expected
But snubbing an organization representing around 85% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP),60% of the world’s population, and over 75% of global trade is still an issue. The G20 consists of the world’s 19 biggest economies plus the European Union (EU) and African Union (AU), and senior officials are expected to attend despite the US absence.
Referring to Trump’s claims of genocide in South Africa, analyst Ndhlovu said: “A lot of major powers are looking past some of the theatrics, and they don’t want any part of it because they see the value in partnering with what still is Africa’s largest and most influential economy.”
Ndhlovu acknowledges the US boycott is a major obstacle because of its economic clout and influence on global institutions, but suggests there are ways around this for South Africa.
“The response from South Africa to Trump’s non-attendance was very stately,” Ndhlovu told DW. “The next step is actually more important, and that is finding resolutions that can work in the absence of the US and where there is consensus.”
“Global cooperation does not revolve around a single country,” noted economist Owusu-Gyamfi.
“South Africa has used this G20 presidency to highlight the fact that solving current global challenges, be it debt reform, climate financing, trade, is a collective action by the G20 and beyond.”
What can South Africa gain from the G20?
The problems for South Africa, and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government, are considerable: Corruption scandals, high crime rates, and a stagnating economy battling staggering unemployment. Still, Ndhlovu and others see the G20 as a chance for South Africa to “put on a good show.”
“As Africans, there is a tendency to feel like all of this does not affect us, that we perceive this as European,” Nghede Adams, a Nigerian scholar at the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation, told DW.
“But, here in South Africa, it is home, an opportunity for us to connect.”
Ugandan Martha Tukahirwa of the Fight Inequality Alliance, who will be on the sidelines of the G20, told DW: “The global economy is not only in a state of just mere faltering, but we’re in a moment where there is a lot of extractivism. It’s exclusionary, and highly unstable.”
She believes the summit is a “political moment” because previously, important multilateral spaces were led by representatives from other continents.
“We need to use the space to really amplify our demands,” she said.
Big, bold challenges
Aside from the apparent US snub, the boldest aims of South Africa’s leadership may also be its biggest challenges.
“In sub-Saharan Africa, our elders hold dearly to the principles of equity, of unity in a crisis,” Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi said.
“So I’m really proud Soupluth Africa held strong onto those. They’ve put debt sustainability for low-income countries at the heart of the agenda, with countries spending an average of 17% of their revenues on debt repayment right now.”
She describes this as a first, and believes the G20’s legacy must translate into real benefits for Africa’s economic growth.
“Africa has to transform its economies from a dependence on exporting raw materials to value addition that can create jobs for its people,” political economist Owusu-Gyamfi told DW.
“It must have access to the right types of finance when it is needed. South Africa’s focus on the cost of capital is an excellent example of why the G20 happening on African soil is good for Africa.”
Analyst Ndhlovu added that picking the right themes, like debt restructuring, can make the G20 a success for South Africa.
“Critical minerals, that is also good low-hanging fruit,” he said.
“The US might even decide to get involved because it’s so keenly interested in critical minerals. And maybe we might have to get to a situation where we accept that the G20 is a starting point and it turns into a ‘plurilateral’ platform, not necessarily a multilateral platform.”
Away from the diplomacy, Professor Siphamandla Zondi hopes the G20’s legacy will be far reaching, including on the host city, Johannesburg.
“We’re honorable people,” he told DW. “We didn’t do it because we’re trying to create a facade in front of the G20.”
Additional reporting from Thuso Khumalo in South Africa
Edited by: Keith Walker
