G20 Summit on the horizon: Minister Ntshavheni defends South Africa amid US boycott
Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni addresses US boycott and South Africa's readiness.
Image: Supplied/GCIS
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, briefed the media on Thursday morning at Parliament in Cape Town on the outcomes of Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting.
Among the topics of discussion was the much-anticipated G20 Leader's Summit which will take place on November 22-23.
Ntshavheni emphasised South Africa's readiness for the summit and expressed confidence in the country's ability to host the gathering despite the United States of America's boycott and public repugnance of the country.
"It is a nine-day countdown to the G20 Summit in Nasrec, Johannesburg. Cabinet is confident of the country's readiness to host the first summit on the African continent," she said. "Government is also ready to host in five days' time the G20 Social Summit from the 18th to the 20th of November.
She went on to say that since taking over as president of the summit, the nation has hosted 130 preparatory meetings.
"They were incident-free and an opportunity to showcase the diversity of our provinces and tourism destinations. All provinces hosted a G20 preparatory event of one form or the other," she added.
According to the minister, there is comprehensive safety and security for the summit is being coordinated by security structures.
"The President will undertake a walkabout at the Nasrec precinct tomorrow on Friday, November 14. Watch out for the announcement," Ntshavheni said.
US Secretary Marco Rubio recently posted on X: "Afrikaners have been continuously subjected to violent racial discrimination by the South African government. I applaud @POTUS's (Donald Trump) decision to not waste taxpayer dollars sending our diplomats to the G20 while this heinous violence continues."
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola publicly challenged claims.
"Claims of a 'white genocide' or its euphemism Afrikaner persecution are imagined and used for political expediency. Data does not support the narrative. From April 2020 to March 2024.We continue to fight crime in all its manifestations," he said.
Ntshavheni said the US delegation's absence is not something to be worried about.
"The US has already communicated what they will do," she said. "It's neither here nor there for us. The leaders of the world are coming...Their absence is not unique to South Africa, and they can do or say all sorts of things but, we are hosting the G20 and a number of leaders and countries are participating fully," she said.
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