Ramaphosa deserves accolades for his G20 summit hosting. He showed his flair getting the world moving in the same and right direction.
Much ink has been spilled and countless voices raised in criticism of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leadership, both as head of state and leader of the ANC.
While some of these criticisms may have been warranted, many were unfairly harsh.
What is often overlooked, however, is the pivotal role he has played on the international stage, positioning South Africa as a prominent voice of the global south and Africa, in particular.
At the G20 leaders’ summit, he distinguished himself as a champion of multilateralism, earning recognition for his ability to elevate South Africa’s global standing.
It is little wonder that Donald Trump and his associates grew uneasy as South Africa took centre stage in hosting the event.
Trump this week wasted no time after the G20, barring South Africa from attending the US-hosted G20 next year.
That’s even before the issue of official handover of the G20 presidency from Ramaphosa to Trump is resolved, as our president is insisting on the US to respect protocol to receive it.
US legislators, influenced by the Israel lobby, have approved the renewal of Agoa, which expired in September, excluding South Africa.
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Trump wants to inflict as much damage on South Africa as possible, or he will add an exclusion clause to the Agoa agreement to ensure white farmers are not affected.
In that case, he has to specify that he would offer the duty-free exports into US market to only white farmers, not blacks.
If that happens, it would expose his deep-seated racist intent for turning privileged Afrikaners into unwarranted refugees in the US.
Ramaphosa deserves the accolades he receives for his G20 hosting because by a stroke of genius, he got the world moving in the same and the right direction, using the G20 platform which he hosted and presided over this year.
As he will be handing over the G20 presidency to his self-made enemy, Trump, on 1 December, he must be assured that he has done a great job for Africa and the global south, where 80% of the world’s population is located.
All peace-loving leaders who attended the summit, including those from Europe, were impressed by his achievement.
Even the International Monetary Fund’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, gave Ramaphosa a huge emotional bear hug from Bulgaria, her birth country.
When the history of how multilateralism gained momentum in the world is being related, Ramaphosa’s name should feature prominently amid the figures who made it possible.
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Perhaps the roles that Ramaphosa has been playing on the international stage were underestimated and the man had been underrated mostly by us at home.
We judged him only by his mistakes while ignoring his strengths as an internationalist – standing for what is right on the world stage, where he had to operate on a multilateral level and seek consensus that pursues fairer solutions to global problems.
In recent years under his stewardship, South Africa has emerged as more than just a participant in global forums.
He became chair of the African Union at a challenging time in 2020 amid the Covid pandemic.
African leaders trusted him with the task of leading the continent’s efforts to respond to the pandemic.
His efforts saw him knocking heads with the most powerful in the world, as they hoarded vaccines.
Under Ramaphosa’s stewardship, South Africa has risen as a convenor of the global south, boldly championing fairer trade, climate justice, and reform of global financial institutions.
In so doing, he has secured Africa a commanding voice at the table where the future of global governance is decided.
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