SA, Global South must stand firm

THE 20th Summit of the G20 held in Johannesburg, the first on African soil, offered a snapshot of shifting global power in ways that reinforce the need for sustainable focus, mutual solidarity and unity in Africa and the Global South.

- GIDEON CHITANGA

The US, the biggest economy in the world, elected to snub the summit over its unsubstantiated ideological diplomatic criticism of South Africa. Washington's absence, viewed from the massive attendance of the G20 members, highlights its waning influence, silent differences with many leaders who attended the summit, or a misreading of the contemporary geopolitical moment related to a rejection of transactional bilateralism in preference for equal, mutually representative, and beneficial multilateralism.

The Trump administration has indicated that South Africa may not be invited to the G20 processes and summit to be held in Miami under the US presidency. BusinessTech reported that Washington tabled a new bill that could exclude South Africa from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). This suggests that Washington may escalate its coercive, punitive, and divisive foreign engagement, particularly with Africa and much of the Global South.

South Africa successfully held the G20 Summit with strong participation of key leaders from Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, and the Caribbean regions. The participation of the Global South signified by the presence of the BRICS member countries, Asian, and Caribbean countries, and the presence of prominent African leaders, suggests the realisation of the need for geopolitical recalibration and strong solidarity in the Global South.

The BRICS+ has emerged as a multilateral game changer, bringing together emerging powers and other countries from the Global South to collectively advance self-help projects while consolidating the voices of the Global South.