South Africa was in the international spotlight last weekend, with world leaders from all over the world attending the two-day Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg. Cameras flashed insistently, like lightning in a Highveld thunderstorm. Flashy motorcades rolled through the streets of Johannesburg, as if the ‘City of Gold’ had been transformed into a film set for a blockbuster movie.
You could almost hear the soundtrack blurring as the sirens of the convoys cut through traffic with the confidence of people who had never seen, let alone hit, a pothole. The big shots in town made the atmosphere feel bigger. It felt like South Africa was throwing a gigantic family gathering where half the cousins were emperors and superstars.
Yet it also felt strange that the same country, which is grappling with a fragile energy system, occasional dry taps, and half-fixed roads, is nevertheless holding a global summit without skipping a beat. However, other people felt a surge of pride in their hearts, such as when Springbok captain Siya Kolisi led South Africa to its historic fourth Rugby World Cup victory. Last weekend and the days preceding the G20 gathering, other people also felt a sense of doubt and anxiety about an event of such international magnitude.
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Nonetheless, the host President had been moving around like a punctilious grandfather who wants the homestead spotless before a royal lobola delegation arrives. He pushed the city bosses hard. Pavements were patched, streets were cleaned, and gardens were trimmed until they resembled freshly cut hair.
Fences and walls were repaired and renovated so quickly that the paint had barely dried. Johannesburg suddenly began to glow, as if someone had wiped the city’s face and instructed it to smile for visiting royalty. The venue itself, Nasrec, served as a victory lap for the President.
He knows that place like a taxi driver knows every shortcut in Soweto. He had done thenayi le walkthere twice. First in 2017 and again in 2022.
Both times he entered with nervousness and left with the ANC presidency. Stepping into Nasrec for the G20, he undoubtedly felt like he was returning to home ground, where he had already lifted the trophy twice. It gave him some swagger and an unwavering sense of confidence.
Yes, South Africa has done this before. It is the only country to have hosted numerous international sporting events, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Cricket World Cup, Rugby World Cup, Netball World Cup, Hockey World Cup, World Table Tennis Championships and World Cup of Golf. It had previously hosted several high-profile political events, including the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the United Nations anti-racism conference, two BRICS summits, the WEF Africa meeting, and the Organisation of African Unity Summit, which ultimately led to the formation of the African Union.
Remember Zakumi, Waka Waka, from the 2010 World Cup, which felt like a six-week festival with one anthem and one giant vuvuzela blaring across the land? South Africa often welcomes all backgrounds. It can host saints on stage and scoundrels in leafy suburbs at the same time.
Dignitaries with impeccable credentials come to the country through our international airports. Rogue elements with questionable backgrounds arrive through the same gateways to buy houses in Cape Town and elsewhere, where the manicured lawns are always green and the neighbours never ask too many questions. Hospitality is our thing.
Anyway, South Africa was recently named the friendliest country in the world. Domestically, the G20 allowed the government to stretch its capabilities. For once, most of the news headlines did not focus on negativity, but rather on a country that was pulling itself together to show the world that it was capable of hosting the most prominent names without a hitch.
Ordinary people who were not part of the glamorous event at Nasrec may have developed a sense of pride and hope that maybe the country still has more to offer beyond the summit. Yes, the agenda was set and delivered. Internationally, the moment was even more significant.
For a few days, South Africa was the centre of global attention, with the host setting the agenda and shaping the mood. Africa spoke strongly and firmly to assert its importance in the global arena. Many participants appreciated being in a space where Africa was not politely asking to speak but instead directing the conversation.
The message was loud and clear: South Africa can convene, lead and hold the world’s attention without shaking. The President is familiar with this kind of unprecedented pressure. In May this year, he had led a Working Visit to the White House in the United States (US), at the invitation of a narcissistic and bullying host, President Donald Trump, who turned what should have been a simple bilateral engagement into a long, mindless ordeal.
Nothing humbles a visitor like dealing with a host who believes the ancestors follow his orders. While world leaders dined in polished halls with soft lighting and silent air conditioning, the harsh reality of home whispered loudly. Children in some crime-ridden areas such as Alexandra, Westbury, Khayelitsha, Inanda and Cape Flats, prepared for and wrote exams amid loud, persistent gunshots outside – bang, bang, bang! And somewhere in the polity, some scoundrels were hard at work, skimming to loot public resources.
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