Gauteng ready to host G20 summit, says Lesufi

Gauteng province is “all systems go” to host the upcoming G20 summit, according to Premier Panyaza Lesufi.

Lesufi briefed the media in Marshalltown, Johannesburg, on Tuesday afternoon, joined by Members of the Executive Council (MECs), executive mayors, and chief executive officers (CEOs) of key provincial entities.

The G20 summit will take place from November 22 to 23, 2025, in Johannesburg.

Lesufi said that earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa had expressed concern over the deteriorating state of the province.

Earlier this year, IOL News Ramaphosa said he was “not impressed” with the state of Johannesburg, particularly during a G20 meeting held in the city. 

Despite his disappointment, Ramaphosa gave the province another opportunity to improve ahead of the final G20 gathering in November.

South Africa currently holds the G20 presidency, with most meetings being hosted in Gauteng.

Addressing a gathering of Cabinet members and Gauteng MECs at the Johannesburg City Council in Braamfontein earlier this year, Ramaphosa was candid in his remarks.

“To be direct and tell it how it is, I should say one or two G20 meetings that I attended here were not very pleasing. The environment that one observed was not a pleasing environment,” he said.

Ramaphosa warned Gauteng officials that they might regret being selected as hosts if the situation did not improve but emphasised that there was room for improvement.

He subsequently announced the establishment of a Presidential Working Committee to address the province’s service delivery challenges.

“Since then, the president appointed a presidential committee to accelerate and improve our province,” Lesufi said.

“You will recall the president raised deep concerns over the province’s generating infrastructure, citing persistent issues like water shortages, potholes, burst pipes, non-functional traffic lights, power cuts, uncollected waste and sewer spills, which he deemed unacceptable.”

Lesufi said his government has since reported back to the president that those issues have been resolved.

“Today, we are proud to report to all South Africans that we are ready to host this event without all those issues that the president raised. We take our citizens into confidence in explaining the work we’ve done in the last four months,” he said.

He admitted the process had been difficult.

“We had to pull in other municipalities that were not ready. We had to reprioritise our budget to focus on this matter.

“We also had to bring in other agencies so that all of us could have an integrated approach to resolving the challenges faced by our citizens.

Today, we are proud that all municipalities look clean. We are proud that all major centres are now ready to welcome tourists and visitors to our province.”

Lesufi added that investments in road infrastructure, repairs to street and traffic lights, and the fixing of potholes and guardrails were not only made for the G20 but would also benefit residents long after the summit

“And law enforcement agencies have never been activated the way they’ve been in the last three months. We’ve planned together, executed our plans together, and, most importantly, provided all the resources needed not only to protect visitors but also to protect South Africans,” he said.

Lesufi said the province’s state of preparedness reflected “significant progress” and demonstrated Gauteng’s ability to adopt collaborative, agile governance focused on solution-oriented, resource-driven partnerships.

He described the province’s readiness as the result of “unprecedented collaborative efforts.”

The City of Johannesburg has since intensified service delivery operations ahead of the summit.

Although there have been visible improvements in the Johannesburg CBD, particularly in waste collection and general cleanliness, critics remain unconvinced.

Opposition parties, including the Democratic Alliance (DA), have argued that the city is still not ready to host such a high-stakes meeting due to ongoing service delivery challenges.

Critics have also claimed that the city’s recent efforts were motivated solely by the G20 event.

However, Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has defended the city’s operations, saying the administration is committed to restoring Johannesburg to its former glory.

Despite the progress, the city continues to grapple with service delivery issues, including water and electricity shortages, potholes, decaying infrastructure, uncollected waste, and non-functioning streetlights and traffic signals.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL News