CAIPHUS KGOSANA | Ramaphosa punches above his weight as the world’s biggest bully gets a bloody nose
Executive Summary
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa hosted the first G20 Summit on African soil at Johannesburg's Nasrec Expo Centre, welcoming leaders from around 40 nations despite a boycott by US President Donald Trump, who opposed South Africa's policies on various issues. Prominent attendees included Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese Premier Li Qiang representing Xi Jinping, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, and others like Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The summit declaration was adopted on the opening day, unaffected by the US absence or last-minute attempts to send a junior official. This diplomatic triumph provides Ramaphosa with a significant win amid domestic criticisms of his leadership.