President Cyril Ramaphosa Commends Citizens for Unity and National Pride During G20 in South Africa

• President Cyril Ramaphosa showed his appreciation to all South Africans who showed support for the G20
• The president also praised the work done in getting host cities ready, saying this needed to continue going forward
• The president also expressed confidence that South Africa was on the right path, thanks to the success G20

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG – President Cyril Ramaphosa has thanked South Africans for coming out and showing up for the recent Group of 20 in South Africa.

South Africa held the presidency of the global event for 2025, before handing over to the United States of America. The G20 recently concluded with the World Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg from 22 to 23 November 2025.

Read also

Cyril Ramaphosa condemns disinformation campaign which led to United States' absence from G20 Summit

Addressing the nation during a special family meeting on Sunday, 30 November 2025, Ramaphosa thanked citizens for standing by the country,

“For showing, time and again, that no matter what difficulties we may face, when it comes down to it, you remain proudly South African. And once again, as your President, I say thank you,” he said.

Ramaphosa shows appreciation to every citizen

The president expressed gratitude to every citizen, thanking businesspeople, members of the security sector, premiers, mayors, parliamentarians and members of the judiciary, academics and many others who organised the various G20 meetings.

He also thanked every citizen who welcomed visitors to the country, saying that he knew some of them might have been inconvenienced by the road closures and other disruptions, but remained patient through it all.

Ramaphosa says service delivery should continue

The president also thanked the mayors, councillors and municipal workers who worked so hard to prepare the host cities for the arrival of our visitors. He paid particular praise to Johannesburg, which was the host city for the Leaders’ Summit.

Read also

US petition to deport Elon Musk to South Africa picks up steam, Mzansi says: "We don't want him"

Ramaphosa said that it proved what could be achieved by the cities when a concerted and coordinated effort was made to fix potholes and streetlights, and to clean up the streets and maintain the infrastructure.

“This must continue past the G20 and must be expanded to areas of our towns and cities that have been neglected,” the president urged.

Ramaphosa also used his speech to touch on the USA's absence from the event, noting that it was a result of a disinformation campaign. He urged South Africans to engage in dialogue to solve their own problems, without involving other nations.

Other stories about the US and SA G20 saga

Briefly News reported that there have been some tensions between the USA and South Africa regarding the G20 presidency.

• The South African government has announced that the United States will be excluded from attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit.
• South Africa has clarified that it intends to fully participate in all upcoming G20 meetings hosted by the United States.
• The White House has responded to South Africa's refusal to hand over the presidency of the Group of 20.

Source: Briefly News