Johannesburg is gearing up for the South Africa G20 Summit taking place next weekend on 22 and 23 November 2025 at the Nasrec Expo Centre.
As world leaders prepare to gather for the first G20 summit ever hosted on African soil, a series of political, civil society and economic developments are unfolding alongside the main event.
South Africa holds the G20 Presidency for the 2024 to 2025 cycle, adopting the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”.
According to the official G20 Presidency framework, the agenda focuses on tackling global inequality, accelerating progress on the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and prioritising inclusive economic growth across the Global South.
Key deliverables include the establishment of task forces on food security, debt sustainability and the role of artificial intelligence in development. The Presidency also places emphasis on climate finance, critical minerals and fairer access to development funding for low-income nations.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Department of Small Business Development is hosting the Start-Up 20 (SU20) Summit from 13 to 15 November 2025 at Gallagher Estate in Midrand.
The three-day event brings together entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers for workshops, exhibitions and keynote sessions aimed at strengthening innovation and job creation in the region.
The programme runs daily from 09:00 to 17:00 and forms part of the broader G20 engagement group activity.
The build-up to the summit has also been marked by diplomatic friction.
US President Donald Trump confirmed that no US government official will attend the meeting, citing discredited claims about attacks on white South Africans.
President Cyril Ramaphosa responded that the United States was “giving up the very important role that they should be playing as the biggest economy in the world,” adding that “boycott politics doesn’t work.”
Despite the boycott, South Africa has confirmed that the summit will proceed with its full agenda. Several other global leaders are expected to participate, with some delegations sending senior ministers instead of heads of state.
Civil society mobilisation is also intensifying ahead of the summit. A nationwide Womens Shutdown protest is scheduled for Friday, 21 November 2025, led by advocacy organisation Women for Change.
The group is calling for a halt to work and economic activity for one day to highlight the scale of gender-based violence in South Africa. Organisers say the timing is intentional, aiming to draw international attention to femicide as world leaders arrive in Johannesburg.
The protest includes a 15-minute silent lie-down at 12:00 SAST, where participants will lie on the ground to honour the estimated 15 women murdered daily in the country.
Supporters are encouraged to wear black and switch social media profile pictures to purple as a symbol of solidarity.
Other G20-related events taking place in Johannesburg this week include ministerial meetings, cultural exhibitions and engagements between the G20’s working groups, including the Business20, Labour20, Youth20 and Women20.
The G20 Leaders’ Summit is expected to deliver a final communiqué outlining collective commitments on economic cooperation, climate action, energy security and global development priorities.
South Africa will hand over the G20 Presidency to the United States at the end of November.
