President Cyril Ramaphosa will today, 18 November 2025, receive the G20 Africa Expert Panel Report during a handover ceremony at the Wanderers Hotel in Johannesburg.

South Africa assumed the G20 Presidency in December 2024, marking the first time that the majority of G20 engagements for a full Presidency cycle have been hosted on African soil.

This historic moment has provided South Africa with a unique opportunity to place Africa’s developmental priorities at the centre of global economic dialogue.

In line with this mandate, the Minister of Finance, Mr Enoch Godongwana, established the G20 Africa Expert Panel — chaired by former Minister of Finance, Mr Trevor Manuel — to develop evidence-based policy recommendations that strengthen Africa’s voice within the G20 Finance Track.

The overall objective of the African Expert Panel is to offer strategic advice by exploring and defining strategies that advance Africa's collective development interests through increased voice, effective representation, and the achievement of a reformed and all-inclusive global economic policy through the G20.

The Panel is composed of 26 distinguished experts from across the globe, with 20 from Africa, representing diverse disciplines including economics, development finance, public policy and academia.

The G20 Africa Expert Panel Report marks a major milestone of South Africa’s G20 Presidency. It provides practical proposals aimed at achieving a more equitable and inclusive global economic order.

The report outlines actionable pathways for addressing Africa’s debt challenges, improving access to development finance, strengthening the global financial safety net, and positioning the continent as an active participant in shaping international economic policy.

The handover of this Report to President Ramaphosa signals South Africa’s commitment to ensuring that African perspectives are central to global economic reforms, and that African countries participate meaningfully in designing solutions to the systemic challenges they face.

Members of the media wishing to cover the ceremony will be required to produce their G20 Summit accreditation
Date: Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Time: 14h30( media to arrive at 13h00)
Venue: Wanderers County Club, Johannesburg 

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President- media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Mr Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile, will on Tuesday, 18 November 2025, deliver a keynote address at the  Welcoming and Opening Ceremony of the G20 Social Summit.

South Africa will host the G20 Social Summit from 18 - 20 November 2025 at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng Province.

The G20 Social Summit is designed as an inclusive platform to amplify the voices of civil society, grassroots organisations and communities. In line with the G20 Presidency theme of Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability, the Social G20 Summit will bring together formal and informal networks, including youth groups, women’s organisations, persons with disabilities, faith-based organisations, community forums and other grassroots structures to engage directly on global issues that affect them.

Details of the G20 Welcoming and Opening Ceremony are as follows:

Date: Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Time: 13h00 - 15h30
Venue: Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference, Boksburg, Gauteng Province

Media enquiries: Mr Keith Khoza, Acting Spokesperson to the Deputy President, on 066 195 8840.

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday, 18 November 2025 address a working dinner with South African chief executives as part of the G20 Outreach Programme. 
 
Since assuming the Presidency of the G20 in December 2024, the South African Government  has hosted various activities aimed at strengthening international cooperation in various areas including science and innovation, education and 
trade and investment.

These deliberations have extended beyond G20 members to partners including African countries. 
 
As part of the G20 Outreach Programme, the South African Government has led various activities, under the Coordination Machanism for Economic Development (COMED) network, aimed at sharing information and promoting trade investment opportunities for South African companies on the African continent. 

South Africa is one the largest investors on the continent in various areas including energy, telecommunications, agriculture and infrastructure. 
 
Members of the media wishing to cover the dinner are requested to send their details to Patience@presidency.gov.za before 16h00. No late applications will be accepted.

The President will address the dinner as follows:
Date: Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Time: 18h00 ( Media to arrive at 17h00)
Venue: Investec, 100 Sandton Drive, Sandown, Sandton

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya Spokesperson to the President: media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

South Africa will host the G20 Social Summit from 18 - 20 November 2025 at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng Province.

Under the overarching theme “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability,” South Africa’s G20 Presidency reflects the nation’s strategic priorities of inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and the building of a capable, ethical, and developmental State.

In keeping with the G20 theme of Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability, the G20 Social Summit will convene formal and informal networks, including youth movements, women’s organisations, faith-based groups, organisations of persons with disabilities, community forums, and other grassroots structures. 

Together, they will engage on global issues that directly impact people’s daily lives.

Building on Brazil’s innovative introduction of the G20 Social Summit, President Cyril Ramaphosa has committed to continuing and expanding this people-centred platform during South Africa’s Presidency.

The G20 Social Summit seeks to elevate issues of social development, equity, and inclusion to the same level of priority as macroeconomic and financial matters.

The G20 Social Summit will bring together a wide spectrum of stakeholders including governments, civil society, labour, youth, women, persons with disabilities, philanthropy, and grassroots organisations ensuring that the lived experiences of ordinary people shape the outcomes of the G20 process.

To lead the organisation and facilitation of the G20 Social Summit, President Ramaphosa appointed Minister in The Presidency, Ms Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, and former Deputy President, Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, as Co-Convenors, representing both Government and civil society sectors.

Their mandate included overseeing stakeholder engagement and ensuring alignment between the Social Summit and the broader G20 priorities.

Designed as an inclusive and participatory platform, the Summit will amplify the voices of civil society, grassroots organisations, and communities from across the world. It aims to foster global solidarity, advance inclusive development, and deliver a G20 Social Declaration that captures the aspirations and lived realities of citizens particularly the most vulnerable.

This initiative provides South Africa with a unique opportunity to foreground the African Agenda and advance the priorities of the Global South within the world’s premier forum for international economic cooperation.

There are 13 official G20 Engagement Groups that serve as vital channels for diverse sectors to contribute to the G20’s policy and decision-making processes. 

Throughout the year, these groups met to develop proposals and communiqués that inform G20 outcomes, ensuring that voices beyond government are meaningfully heard and considered.

The 13 official G20 Engagement Groups are:

- W20 (Women)
- L20 (Labour)
- B20 (Business)
- T20 (Think Tanks)
- C20 (Civil Society)
- SAI20 (Supreme Audit Institutions)
- Y20 (Youth)
- U20 (Urban)
- S20 (Science)
- Startup20
- J20 (Judiciary/Supreme Courts)
- O20 (Ocean)
- P20 (Parliament)
- G20 EMPOWER Alliance

Each of these engagement groups represents a distinct constituency from business and labour to youth, women, academia, and civil society bringing diverse perspectives and expertise to enrich the G20 agenda and strengthen global cooperation.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile will address the Opening Ceremony and people’s conversations on Tuesday, 18 November 2025. The Ceremony will commence after mid-day at 13h00 at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng Province. 

On Day 2, Wednesday, 19 November 2025, the G20 Social Summit Engagement Groups will break away into thematic sessions on:

- Digital Inclusion and Equitable Transformation;
- Inclusive Climate Justice;
- A Just Transition, and Energy Democracy;
- Digital Inclusion and Equitable Transformation;
- Trade, Resilience & Inclusive Value Chains;
- Inclusive Climate Justice, a Just Transition, and Energy Democracy;
- A Just and Sustainable Finance and International Financial Architecture; and
- Building Momentum for the Achievement of the SDGs and Agenda 2063. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday, 20 November 2025, address the Closing Ceremony of the G20 Social Summit and receive the declaration from participating delegates over the 3-day convention.

The Federative Republic of Brazil, as member of the G20 Troika, will also participate in the Closing Ceremony which will commence at 11h00 at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng Province.

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President - media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday, 18 November 2025, attend the official opening ceremony of the Platreef Mine in Mokopane, Limpopo Province.

This landmark event represents a significant B20 success story, showcasing tangible foreign direct investment and industrial advancement in South Africa. 

The event is also strategically scheduled to align with the nation’s broader economic diplomacy just ahead of the Qatari Investment Summit and G20 Summit.

Key milestones to be celebrated include:
· The ceremonial delivery of the first platinum, palladium, rhodium, nickel, copper, and gold concentrate.

· A celebration of the project's profound impact on local economy, including substantial job creation and the growth of local businesses.

· Recognition of the vital partnerships with local communities and stakeholders.

· The acknowledgement of the official opening of the Masodi Wastewater Treatment Works,
underscoring Platreef’s commitment to responsible water stewardship.

Media are invited to cover the event as follows:
Date: Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Time: 08:00 – 11:30
Location: Ivanplats Mine Site, Farm Turfspruit 241 KR, Mokopane, Limpopo Province

Members of the media wishing to cover the ceremony should send their details to Mmasaku Mohale, Senior Manager: Government Relations & Communications: mmasakum@ivanplats.com or +27 71 865-3847.

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

The Presidency invites members of the media to the Swearing-in Ceremony on Monday, 17 November 2025, of the newly appointed members of the National Executive.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Mr Willem Abraham Stephanus Aucamp as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and  Environment, in accordance with section 91(3)(b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

The President has also appointed Ms Alexandra Lilian Amelia Abrahams as Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, in accordance with section 93 (1) (a) of the Constitution.

The Swearing-in Ceremony will take place as follows:

Date: 17 November 2025
Time: 09h00
Venue: Union Buildings, Pretoria

Members of the media wishing to cover the ceremony should send their details to Khutjo Sebata on Khutjo@presidency.gov.za by no later than 17h00, 16 November 2025. 

The proceedings will also be livestreamed on all PresidencyZA social media platforms.

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President - media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his deep sadness at the passing of educator, diplomat and business leader Dr Franklin Sonn who contributed significantly to different sectors of society and the economy.

Dr Sonn, an Esteemed Member of the National Order of the Baobab and recipient of numerous international honours, has passed away at the age of 86.

President Ramaphosa offers his condolences to Mrs Joan Sonn and children Crispin and Heather, as well the extended families and Dr Sonn’s associates nationally and internationally.

Dr Sonn, who served as the democratic South Africa’s first Ambassador to the United States, distinguished himself in leadership roles in education, politics, and business. 

He began his career as a teacher and became principal of Spes Bona High School in Athlone, Cape Town.

He was President of the Cape Teachers’ Professional Association before his appointment as Rector of the then Peninsula Technikon in Cape Town, a post he held until his diplomatic posting.

Dr Sonn was an anti-apartheid campaigner and pioneering champion of broad-based economic empowerment, who exercised his vision for a just South Africa as a board member in significant corporate businesses and as a co-founder of large black-owned enterprises.

President Ramaphosa said: “I join the Sonns and Franklin’s diverse friends and associates in mourning the loss of a leader whose life exemplified the essence of the Order of the Baobab.

Franklin Sonn inspired the young lives entrusted to him in his early career as a teacher. He provided similar inspiration to the teachers he mobilised in the Cape Teachers’ Professional Association at a time when all sectors were mobilised against apartheid.

We remember him as an advocate and activist for the accelerated transformation of our country after the end of apartheid and the upliftment of historically marginalised communities.

He fought for equality and development in all his endeavours, which included philanthropic work alongside Joan Sonn. Together, they endowed Crispin and Heather with leadership abilities that have created an intergenerational legacy.

Franklin Sonn played a great part in our history that lives on in our present and we owe him our commitment to keep building the society he envisioned.

May his soul rest in peace.”

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President - media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria