Ten points about the recent G20 summit in Johannesburg: 1. The summit was well presented logistically and in terms of facilities, appearance, logo, preparation. The protea was a nice logo and Nasrec was clearly very well put together for the summit. Every South African can breathe a sigh of relief and be proud about this. 2. Johannesburg was never a good choice for many of us. The Western Cape or even the Natal coast could have been better. Ultimately, there were no major incidents that made international news, but Johannesburg remains a city in crisis. The preparation for the G20 proved that the government has the capacity to turn the city around, but is the political will there? 3. The agenda was always going to have a left-wing angle and this was no different. Also in his closing speech, President Ramaphosa focused most on themes such as inequality and climate change. The ANC remains in its DNA a left-wing party that is most comfortable with left-wing political themes, such as the rights of the Palestinians, government policies to tackle inequality, climate change, a push back against Western hegemony, the promotion of international supranational organisations, etc. This was no different at the G20. This may also be why leaders of countries such as Argentina, Italy and Japan were relatively silent during the summit. However, the questions about what is really needed for Africa to address its problems remain unanswered. 4. That six heads of state decided to stay away, including the two most powerful, remains bad - despite many claiming the opposite. The summit will unfortunately also be remembered for that. Donald Trump has been dominating geopolitics for 10 months and his boycott was ultimately the central theme of the summit internationally, even though it was never discussed. 5. President Ramaphosa and his government's harsh words for Trump and the US government probably worked during the summit, on the one hand with foreigners because of their own disappointment in the US boycott, and on the other hand among South Africans because many experienced it as an attack on the country. After the summit, however, it poses great risks for the whole of South Africa. Harsh statements are easy, smart diplomacy much more difficult. Ask many left-wing world leaders (Keir Starmer - UK, Claudia Sheinbaum - Mexico and Lee Jae Myung - Korea) who put their pride in their pockets and strengthened ties with Trump in the interests of their people. Ramaphosa will have to do the same or this summit will be remembered for the final turning point at which the relationship between the two countries began to move dramatically in the wrong direction. 6. Shortly before the summit, the tension in the ANC and also the tension in the GNU were well known. Ramaphosa even said that he was ready to resign as ANC leader. The G20 summit was par excellence a show of power by Ramaphosa, his inner circle (Lamola, Tau, Ntshavheni, etc.), but also the current government more generally. The question is whether it only strengthened Ramaphosa's position in the short term and whether it will also strengthen his position and that of the ANC over the run-up to 2026. 7. The question of the joint declaration of the summit remains. Did Argentina allow it to be accepted or did this country intend to prevent it? The debate on this will continue. 8. There was a strong focus on Africa and African development, Africa's debt crisis and of course Africa's mineral wealth. Does the leadership in Africa and the African Union exist to maintain momentum from the summit? Africa's crises with war, conflict and the decline of democracy are increasing. Can economic success, investments and a global focus on Africa's development reverse this? I doubt. 9. Europe's delegation of heads of state and leaders was in full attendance. Europe is still dominated by left and centre-left leaders with a strong belief in multilateralism. However, Europe is struggling to find its feet in a changing world in which Europe does not want to dominate, but does want to play a substantial proactive role. What will such a role look like with an increasingly dominant global south and a more assertive USA? 10. The benefits of the summit for South Africa are there but the extent is uncertain. South Africa was able to convey and radiate a certain image - a professional presentation, good preparation and assertive leadership. No beauty of the country was really showcased (Gauteng is not exactly a province known for natural beauty) and it is a pity, but ultimately the G20 remains a summit about global economic and financial policy, mutual arrangements, supervision and the handling of common challenges and even crises. Reports over the past two weeks have claimed that South Africa is seeing the sprouts of new economic life after 15 years of decline and decay following the end of load shedding, improvements at ports, lower interest rates, removal of the grey list and a credit upgrade. The necessary policy changes can be made and overregulation pushed back to present the economy as an attractive investment opportunity to the world. I remain skeptical but we must continue to hope that things can move in the right direction. However, the ANC's DNA remains one of power, centralization and control. None of that has been changed by one international conference. #G20SouthAfrica #G20