It's Topical | What's been the impact of South Africa's G20 presidency?

The article is a transcript of the SABC TV show 'It's Topical,' hosted by Blaine Herman, analyzing the conclusion of the G20 Leaders Summit hosted by South Africa in 2025, marking the first African presidency of the group. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa closed the summit, emphasizing the adopted declaration as a commitment to actionable solutions for global challenges, including strengthening disaster resilience, ensuring debt sustainability for low-income countries, fostering partnerships for Africa, mobilizing finance for a just energy transition, and harnessing critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development. The show highlights South Africa's success in elevating African and Global South voices, achieving consensus on the declaration early despite geopolitical tensions, particularly the U.S. boycott led by President Trump, who cited misinformation about alleged 'genocide' in South Africa and declined to attend, sending a low-level delegation at the last minute. Experts Sophie McQuena, Zandi Limbbech, and Mumbai unpack the implications: McQuena notes global support for South Africa's moral authority (e.g., its stance on Gaza) and lobbying by the UK and France; Limbbech praises Ramaphosa's principled leadership and handover to the U.S.; Mumbai discusses economic focuses like the finance track's reinvigoration, tensions between finance and international relations agendas, and the need for a global economic reset amid U.S.-China trade wars. Public street interviews from Johannesburg reflect diverse views, stressing Africa's indispensability, youth empowerment against unemployment, addressing gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide, housing shortages, and climate impacts. Callers question the declaration's compromises, South Africa's economic position relative to G20 peers, and whether it truly represents ordinary citizens' interests under Section 19 of the Constitution, linking to inequality and unemployment. The discussion covers the social summit for grassroots input, warm relations with Brazil's President Lula (rooted in shared socialist values and IBSA cooperation), limited tangible trade benefits from such ties, and challenges in implementation due to the G20's lack of a secretariat, relying on the 'troika' (South Africa, U.S., UK) and political will. Debt sustainability is explained as renegotiating burdensome loans to prevent defaults that spike interest rates, with calls for revising G20 frameworks like the Common Framework. Overall, the summit is portrayed as a historic achievement affirming South Africa's global role, but success hinges on follow-through to deliver practical benefits for ordinary people, avoiding regression under future presidencies focused on finance over equity.