South Africa

JOHANNESBURG — The G20 summit in Johannesburg ended with a broad declaration aimed at addressing climate change, inequality and Africa’s development, marking a diplomatic victory for host South Africa even as the United States staged a boycott, organizers said Friday. President Cyril Ramaphosa described the outcome as a reaffirmation of multilateralism and said the summit elevated African priorities on the global agenda. The declaration commits the group to measures intended to advance renewable energy, strengthen disaster…

Renewed Commitment at the G20 Summit The Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg concluded with a declaration emphasizing multilateral cooperation amidst global challenges. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted this commitment despite significant geopolitical tensions and the absence of the U.S. President. President Cyril Ramaphosa praised the summit's declaration for unity in addressing global issues. U.S. President Donald Trump boycotted the summit due to unfounded allegations against South Africa’s…

G-20 Summit in South Africa: Bridging Global Inequality The first-ever Group of 20 summit in Africa has commenced in South Africa with leaders gathering to address global challenges. The summit is marked by the absence of the United States, highlighting diplomatic tensions. The summit is held in Soweto, South Africa, a place with historical significance. Key agenda includes climate change, debt relief, and global inequality. The absence of the U.S. may influence the outcomes of the summit. South Africa’s…

Historic G-20 Summit in South Africa Moves Forward Without U.S. The G-20 summit in South Africa made an unprecedented move by adopting its declaration without the United States, which boycotted the event over diplomatic tensions. This break in protocol signals a significant step for the summit hosted in Africa for the first time. The declaration was adopted at the start of the summit, a departure from standard procedure. South Africa positioned this as a victory amid U.S. absence. Key focuses include climate…

SOUTH AFRICA — South Africa faces what health researchers call a “vaping crisis” among adolescents while a long-promised overhaul of the country’s tobacco laws sits largely dormant. The draft Tobacco Bill published in 2018 — designed to extend smoke-free public spaces, introduce plain packaging and ban point-of-sale displays for both cigarettes and electronic cigarettes — has yet to clear the long road from proposal to law, leaving regulators and public-health advocates alarmed as youth nicotine use climbs. A 2024 study of…

Thousands of South Africans joined an online and street-level protest this week calling on the government to declare gender-based violence (GBV) a national disaster, a demand activists say is necessary to match the scale of attacks on women across the country. The movement, which began on social media and crystallised in a coordinated "G20 Women's Shutdown," asked women to withdraw from work and the economy for a day, wear black, and lie down for 15 minutes at noon to honour those killed. Organisers urged supporters to turn…

South Africa Stands Firm Amid U.S. G-20 Boycott South Africa reaffirms its commitment to multilateralism as the U.S. opts out of the G-20 summit in Johannesburg. Despite Washington's demands to drop the traditional declaration, President Cyril Ramaphosa insists on proceeding with the summit's agenda. South Africa dismisses U.S. requests for a toned-down statement. President Ramaphosa emphasizes the importance of global equality and multilateralism. U.S. diplomats warn against adopting a summit declaration without…

Sovereign debt crisis imperils developing economies as G20 gathers in Johannesburg Global economic experts are raising the alarm: sovereign debt in many developing countries, especially across Africa, has reached a critical stage and risks triggering wider instability if left unaddressed. With G20 leaders preparing to meet in Johannesburg this month, analysts say the summit is an urgent opportunity for coordinated action on debt sustainability and finance for development. The warning follows reporting that many low- and…

Latest situation Conditions in Gauteng are expected to improve after a period of severe weather that disrupted services and response efforts. The latest forecast now calls for only scattered showers across the province. Weather models show a reduction in storm intensity, moving from widespread severe conditions to isolated showers. Authorities report that the earlier severe weather slowed emergency and repair responses in affected areas. Power restoration work is underway in some neighbourhoods where outages occurred…

G20 in Johannesburg: A test of multilateralism as Africa’s priorities meet fracturing diplomacy The historic 2025 G20 Summit in Johannesburg (November 22–23) arrives with symbolic weight — the first time the grouping meets on African soil — and with urgent expectations. Under South Africa’s presidency theme, “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,” hosts have signalled a push to center issues that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries: debt sustainability, climate finance, and rising inequality. Yet the…