South African President Ramaphosa hailed after successful G20 Summit
Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – President Cyril Ramaphosa has been saluted for his successful hosting the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg this weekend.
Ramaphosa on Sunday brought South Africa’s G20 presidency to a close amid widespread acclaim for his handling of the major summit – the first on African soil – despite the United States being largely sidelined.
“I now say that this gavel of this G20 Summit, formally closes this summit and now moves on to the next president of the G20, which is the United States, where we shall see each other again next year,” he said in a barbed reference to US President Donald Trump’s hint that South Africa does not belong in the G20.
Ramaphosa was embroiled in a diplomatic storm by refusing to hand over the presidency at the G20 Summit to the American Chargé d’Affaires, Marc D Dillard, who is considered a junior official. International Relations and Co-operation Minister Ronald Lamola told delegates that the G20 presidency would officially be handed over to a US representative at his department’s Pretoria offices this week. It was seen as a strong rebuke of Washington’s dismissal of the global summit.
Several world leaders have praised South Africa for its successful organisation of the event. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen hugged Ramaphosa and said, “Well done.” And International Monetary Fund managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, said, “I am very proud of you … it was not easy.”
Political analyst Adriaan Basson said the adoption of the Leaders' Declaration was a significant victory for Ramaphosa’s presidency of the G20. “His smile couldn’t be broader when he asked the plenary to vote in favour of the adoption of the declaration. 'Out of Africa, there is always something new,' Ramaphosa said confidently. At the end of it, America stood alone. And victory tasted sweet.”
And journalist Qaanitah Hunter said the African continent owes an enormous debt to Trump: “It is not a moral debt and it is certainly not one of gratitude for enlightened leadership. It is the unintended consequence of being bullied in public. In trying so aggressively to belittle South Africa and to treat Africans as a soft target in his crusade against multilateralism, Trump did something no visionary African leader seemed able to do. He forced our leaders to grow a backbone. For that, however grudgingly, we must say: Thank you, Trump.”
-0- PANA CU/MA 24Nov2025
