Business and government partner to boost growth
President Cyril Ramaphosa convened ministers and senior business leaders under the Government Business Partnership.
This, to fast-track the implementation of key structural reforms and support performance improvements at Transnet and Eskom.
Martin Kingston, leader of B4SA's steering committee, believes that the best way to address unemployment and inequality is to execute structural reform, notably in the networking industry.
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South Africa's G20 Presidency: Strategic diplomacy in a shifting global order
South Africa has taken the G20 Presidency at a time when the global order is in flux, with experts saying that President Cyril Ramaphosa will have to engage in the kind of strategic diplomacy witnessed during his visit to the White House. Image: GCIS South Africa, as chair of the G20 Summit 2025, at a time when the international system is plagued by uncertainty due to the shifting global order, needs to manage its relationships with various powers strategically, balancing its interests with the West and the East to achieve desired outcomes, experts say. The Group of Twenty (G20) is an international forum of both developing and developed countries that seeks to find solutions to global economic and financial issues, and its Presidency rotates annually among the members. Dr Sonja Theron, a lecturer in Security Studies at the University of Pretoria's Department of Political Sciences, said as the chair of the G20, South Africa is given an agenda-setting role and can influence which topics make it to the table. 'The G20 is ultimately a forum – a place for conversation. The directions those conversations take will be influenced by existing relationships and power dynamics, where South Africa holds some, but not extensive, agency and power. And ultimately, conversation may or may not lead to action,' Theron said. She noted that the international system is plagued with uncertainty due to the shifting global order. To navigate this to achieve desired outcomes, South Africa will have to carefully understand what leverage it does and does not have, and use this in directed and intentional efforts, and engage in the kind of strategic diplomacy witnessed during President Cyril Ramaphosa's visit to the White House, Theron said. She added that South Africa has often tried to position itself as a bridging actor between multiple forums and global camps such as the G7 and BRICS members within the G20, but this has often led to having to walk a fine line between partners, and Russia and the USA are prime examples. 'It is crucial that South Africa not overplay its hand and focus on where it has influence to exercise agency. This does not mean that South Africa needs to abandon its goals or principles but rather think strategically on where and how these can be advanced. 'We are witnessing a global withdrawal from multilateral processes and solutions. As such, South Africa should focus on incremental but transformative steps towards a more equitable world order. This could include initiatives that focus on more effective information gathering, sharing, and analysis, such as the Common Carbon Credit Data Model, the Borrowers' Forum, and a Panel of Technical Experts to uncover the barriers to development in the global debt and finance system,' Theron said. On South Africa's presidency push for a more robust and transparent funding mechanism for countries affected by climate change, she said, such a large-scale initiative would be difficult to achieve in the current global climate. 'Not only are global powers less inclined to multilateralism, they are also less interested or incentivised to provide financial assistance. To achieve this, South Africa would need to build or leverage its relationships with the Global South and with global powers to ensure that the issue is championed across multiple forums and decision-making platforms,' Theron added. On the de-dollarisation as a central theme in the BRICS, she said, 'Taking a hard stance on de-dollarisation, in line with the BRICS agenda, will alienate the US further. South Africa's options are then to either take a more moderate stance or prepare for the fallout of a strong position.' Professor Fulufhelo Netswera, the executive dean for the Faculty of Management Sciences at the Durban University of Technology, said the G20's participation of South Africa and its leadership will not yield anything substantive. 'The president of the US is not going to come here. So that in itself tells us that they don't care about South Africa's Presidency of the G20, and they are not going to care about the outcomes of that gathering,' Netswera said. He highlighted that he doesn't think that the G20 has ever done anything meaningful, if 'we' go historically by resolutions taken. 'Not much has been implemented coming from this group. It's a good group. I think big nations need to sit now and again, remind themselves about their commitment to humanity and to not destroy each other, and trade fairly, which is all good and nice,' he said. On the reform of the Bretton Woods institutions, he said all the countries, including BRICS nations, have been talking about the lack of reform of the United Nations, the Security Council, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organisation.
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'Distorted and Inaccurate': South Africa dismantles US Human Rights report allegations
President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to meet with Trump, where he must defend South Africa's sovereignty against aggressive US policies. Image: IOL Graphics The South African government has firmly denied allegations contained in the 2024 United States Human Rights Report, rejecting claims that white farmers are being specifically targeted in racially motivated attacks. The controversy has revived a long-standing false narrative, one previously amplified by high-profile figures such as US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. Trump also threatened to skip the SA G20 summit later this year because 'bad things are happening in South Africa'. Musk, in turn, has echoed similar sentiments in public statements and online, warning of an alleged 'white genocide' in the country. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) labelled the assertions as 'distorted and inaccurate,' reaffirming its commitment to a transparent, evidence-based approach to rural safety. In a revised statement issued this week, DIRCO spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, clarified what it described as "misleading interpretations" of crime data in South Africa's farming communities. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The US report had suggested a pattern of racial targeting in rural attacks—a claim the South African government says is not supported by official statistics. 'We address all forms of crime, which remain a significant challenge for all of our citizens, regardless of race or location,' said Phiri. 'The suggestion that these crimes represent a concerted practice of racially motivated attacks is not borne out by the facts.' According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), only six murders were reported in farming communities between January and March 2025. Of these, two were farmers, three were employees, and one was a farm dweller—evidence that violence in rural areas is not racially selective but affects all individuals living and working in those communities. The government also aimed at domestic groups—specifically AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement—for fuelling divisive rhetoric. Both organisations have publicly accused the South African government of attempting to "destroy Afrikaners" and of turning a blind eye to farm attacks. These claims have sparked widespread public outrage and drawn criticism from across the political spectrum for misrepresenting facts and deepening social tensions. 'The claim that the government is trying to destroy Afrikaners is not only false—it is inflammatory and dangerous,' the Presidency said earlier this year. 'We will not allow any organisation, local or international, to spread lies about our country.'
