G20: A Collection of What World Leaders Had To Say About South Africa
- South Africa hosted the G20 Summit in Johannesburg on 22 and 23 November 2025, and many heads of state praised the country
- This is despite United States President Donald Trump's recent announcement that he would not allow South Africa to participate in the G20 Summit in Miami
- Presidents from countries including Brazil, India, and France lauded President Cyril Ramaphosa for hosting the G20 Summit successfully
Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international politics, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his 10 years of experience.
Source: Getty Images
JOHANNESBURG — World leaders sang the praises of the South African government and President Cyril Ramaphosa following a successful G20 Summit on 22 and 23 Johannesburg, 2025. This is the United States President Doinald trump announced that South Africa would not attend the G20 Summit in Miami in 2026.
SABC News reporter Sherwin Bryce-Pease shared a screenshot of tweets on his @sherwiebp X account from the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, India's President Narendra Modi, Brazil's president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and France's president Emmanuel Macron.
World leaders praise SA for G20 Presidency
Von der Leyen said that 2025 was an exceptional year for the partnership between the European Union and South Africa. She said the partnership delivered for both sides for the greater good. Before the G20 Summit, von der Leyen expressed the European Union's support for South Africa's G20 Summit presidency.
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India's president, Narendra Modi, said that the G20 Summit will contribute to a sustainable and prosperous planet. He also thanked South Africa and said his interactions with world leaders will deepen India's links with various nations.
Lula, whose country, Brazil, is part of BRICS with South Africa, said he extended an invitation to Ramaphosa for a State visit to Brazil in 2026 to strengthen bilateral ties between the two nations. He said South Africa's presidency of the G20 enabled the conclusions of several declarations for the G20 nations.
Source: Facebook
Macron referred to Ramaphosa as his dear friend and congratulated Ramaphosa and the South African government for the Summit, which was as first in Africa. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada and South Africa launched talks to boost business between the two nations and create more opportunities for Canadians and South Africans.
Turkey's President Recep Erdogan also saluted Ramaphosa and praised the Summit. He called for an end to the destruction of Gaza and humanitarian aid.
Read the X tweet here:
Recently, in stark opposition to the world leaders' consensus of a successful G20, United States President Donald Trump announced that South Africa would not attend the G20 Summit in Miami. He said that it was because of how the G20 Presidency was handed over. He also accused South Africa of white genocide and seizing Afrikaners' farms.
Presidency responds to Trump's announcement
In a related article, Briefly News reported that the Presidency responded to Trump's threat to stop South Africa from attending the G20 Summit. Trump did not attend the Summit and did not send an official delegation.
The Presidency pointed out that the summit was hailed as one of the most successful by those who attended. The Presidency also added that South Africa is a founding member of the G20.
Source: Briefly News
