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As the Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders’ Summit draws closer, South Africa, continues to facilitate meetings in preparation for the all-important gathering.

South Africa will host the G20 Leaders’ Summit on 22 and 23 November 2025 in Johannesburg under the theme, ‘Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability’.

“The countdown to the G20 Leaders’ Summit is underway. South Africa continues to host and facilitate preparatory meetings, and the adoption of declarations by different taskforce and work-streams,” said Minister in The Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said on Friday at a Post Cabinet briefing in Pretoria.

Cabinet on Wednesday received an update on G20 preparations.

The following G20 Summit preparatory meetings were held over the past few weeks:

• The Sixth Health Working Group Meeting, which discussed strengthening the global health systems and preparing for future challenges.
• The Third Task Force 2 Meeting: Food Security in Egypt to address the main outcomes of the G20 Food Security Task Force, and also discussed the Ministerial Statement on global food security, which is expected to be adopted during the G20 Ministerial Meeting to be held in South Africa on 19 September 2025.

South Africa is gearing up for several important events in the coming months, including the G20 Compact with Africa in Johannesburg, a Food Security Meeting in Egypt, discussions on industrialisation and agriculture in Nigeria, and the second G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting.

Cabinet further welcomed the launch of the G20 Experts Taskforce by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

READ | SA appoints economic experts to produce G20 report on global wealth inequality

The G20 Experts Taskforce will examine global wealth inequality and its impact on economic growth, poverty and multilateralism. 

“This initiative, which is the first of its kind for the G20, is in line with South Africa’s commitment to use its G20 Presidency to address issues that affect low-income countries, such as rising inequality and high sovereign debt burdens,” Ntshavheni said.

The G20 Expert Taskforce will deliver a report on global inequality to G20 world leaders at the G20 Leaders Summit in South Africa. 

Brazil officially transferred the Presidency of the G20 to South Africa at the closing ceremony of the 2024 annual summit in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024. This marked a historic moment, as South Africa became the first African nation to assume the G20 Presidency. – SAnews.gov.za 

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has appointed 111 solid waste workers in a bid to improve waste management, restore hygiene and create cleaner neighbourhoods across the metro.

The new recruits will focus on essential cleaning services, such as street sweeping, litter picking, emptying bins, and loading refuse.

The services are expected to significantly improve the quality of life in communities by tackling litter, keeping public spaces safe and fostering civic pride.

Speaking at an induction meeting, Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Health, Thsonono Buyeye, welcomed the appointments, describing them as long overdue.

“We have been mobilising funds and engaging our Human Resources Sub-directorate to expedite these appointments. Our people have been telling us that their neighbourhoods are filthy and for a few years we did not have enough manpower. I am happy that we will have people on the ground,” Buyeye said.

“The workers have resumed their duties from 1 September 2025, [and] we expect to see the difference in our streets. A cleaner living environment will soon be something of the past,” Buyeye said.

Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe said the recruitment was part of the metro’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) priorities, which were shaped by extensive community consultations.

“Through our IDP Public Participation meetings that we convened throughout the metro, our people have been telling us that the city is dirty. We have responded with action — the picture of the city will never be the same,” Lobishe said.

The workers will be deployed across depots to ensure citywide coverage.

Clean cities and towns campaign

The municipality’s efforts come as government rolls out the Clean Cities and Towns Campaign, launched in June by Deputy President Paul Mashatile in Soweto, Johannesburg.

The campaign marks a comprehensive approach to urban cleanliness and community engagement.

Speaking at the launch, the Deputy President stressed that the campaign goes beyond mere cleaning but addresses broader service delivery issues and creates opportunities for community employment.

“However, the idea is not really to employ people, it’s a voluntary programme. People must clean where they live. There may be instances where the city may employ people here and there, but we want to create a culture of cleaning where people don’t have to be paid to clean where they live,” the Deputy President said. – SAnews.gov.za
 

Deputy President Paul Mashatile is scheduled to deliver the eulogy at the Special Official Funeral for the late Ambassador Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu on Saturday, 6 September 2025. 

The funeral service will be held at the Steve Tshwete Banquet Hall in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, from 9am. 

Mahlangu served as the High Commissioner of South Africa to Kenya, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Somalia, and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON).

The former Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and a long-serving diplomat, Mahlangu, passed away at the age of 72 on 24 August 2025, while en route to a South African hospital after a brief illness.

President Cyril Ramaphosa declared that Mahlangu be honoured with a Special Official Funeral Category 2, which will entail ceremonial honours performed by the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The President has also directed that the National Flag be flown at half-mast at all flag stations from Saturday, 30 August 2025, until the evening of the funeral.

Deputy President Mashatile said: “The late Ambassador Mahlangu played a number of significant roles both in the struggle for liberation and the birth and nurturing of South Africa’s democracy, as he participated in the drafting of South Africa’s democratic Constitution and later served in the first Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. Government will, therefore, honour the late Mahlangu for his contribution as he is laid to rest.” 

Mahlangu, affectionately known as “MJ”, was born on 8 October 1952 in Middleburg.

His journey began as a student activist, and he went on to play a pivotal role in shaping a new, democratic South Africa. 

Mahlangu was a part of the group that drafted the country’s post-apartheid constitution and was elected to the first democratic Parliament in 1994.

As tributes have been pouring in since his passing, Mahlangu was described as a leader who exemplified dedication, integrity, and patriotism. 

Meanwhile, this evening, Deputy President will attend the Inaugural Charity Gala Dinner organised by the Phawu Lethu Skills Development Training organisation in Kleinmond, Western Cape. 

According to the Presidency, today’s engagement further underscores government’s commitment to supporting the positive and important role played by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their contribution to socio-economic development. 

“Deputy President Mashatile as champion of social cohesion and moral regeneration initiatives in South Africa, has accepted Phawu Lethu’s invitation, in view of their commitment to support vulnerable communities affected by hunger, natural disasters, and poverty, thus restoring hope and dignity to those impacted by hardship.” – SAnews.gov.za

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) will today host a webinar preceding the 3rd Climate Change and Futures in Africa Conference. 

The webinar, hosted in collaboration with the University of Venda, Midlands State University and the National Youth Climate Action Network of Namibia, will take place from 11am to 1pm.

Titled, ‘Decolonising Climate Risk Scholarship from the Global North to Africa’, the HSRC said the webinar represents “more than an academic exercise”. 

Instead, the council said it directly confronts the imbalances embedded in contemporary climate scholarship and is a deliberate attempt to disrupt the status quo within the politics of climate knowledge by examining how knowledge is produced and whose perspectives are prioritised. 

“It is designed to challenge existing knowledge hierarchies that systematically marginalise Global South perspectives, while simultaneously elevating indigenous and local knowledge systems that offer valuable insights for climate risk management,” the HSRC said.

According to the principal convener, the HSRC’s Dr Wilfred Lunga, the webinar creates space for transformative dialogue that moves beyond extractive research practices toward genuinely collaborative knowledge production. 

“Our approach recognises that meaningful climate action requires not merely the inclusion of Global South voices as subjects of research, but their recognition as authoritative knowledge producers, whose insights can fundamentally reshape how we understand and respond to climate challenges,” Lunga said. 

By centring African experiences and knowledge systems, he believes that this will help to demonstrate how decolonial approaches can generate robust, contextually appropriate and socially just climate knowledge.

“This approach aligns with growing recognition within climate scholarship that technical solutions divorced from social and cultural contexts consistently fail to address the root causes of climate vulnerability,” said Lunga.

The 3rd Climate Change and Futures in Africa Conference will take place from 29 October to 1 November 2025 in Windhoek, Namibia. The conference will focus on the theme, ‘Risk in Time and Space’, highlighting the variability of disaster risks over time and space. 

The gathering will bring together experts in climate change, disaster risk reduction, and community-based participatory research to present cutting-edge trends and advancements in the field.

In addition to the expert presentations, the conference will offer a dynamic platform for dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge exchange among academics, policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders from around the world. 

The event will feature interactive panel discussions, workshops, and breakout sessions designed to foster innovative approaches and practical solutions to the complex challenges posed by climate change and disaster risks. – SAnews.gov.za

Women have been urged to take a leading role in shaping the future of South Africa’s maritime industry. 

The Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, said schools must encourage more girls to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, and for higher education institutions to intensify training in scarce and critical skills, such as the maritime sector.

“Institutions of higher learning, let us double the efforts and produce more skills and technical expertise needed to drive the development and growth of the oceans economy at national, continental and international levels,” Chikunga said.

The Minister was addressing the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) stakeholder dialogue at the Nelson Mandela University, in the Eastern Cape, on Thursday.

Held under the theme: “Accelerating Action: Empowering Women to Navigate New Horizons”, the stakeholder dialogue focused on transformation and the empowerment of women in the maritime sector, empowering women through knowledge sharing, while providing a platform for networking and building supportive connections within the maritime sector.

Chikunga emphasised the need for greater synergy between institutions that support women, including access to funding, financial literacy programmes, and capacity-building initiatives for women-owned businesses.

“Our G20 priorities as the Empowerment of Women Working Group seek to facilitate that much needed synergy. Financial inclusion, care work both paid and unpaid, as well as prevention of gender-based violence, are at the pinnacle of our discussion in coordinating women in South Africa, Africa and the globe to speak with one voice.

“Financial inclusion must be a lived reality of all women in the maritime sector across all maritime industries,” she said.

Highlighting persistent inequalities, Chikunga noted that while women make up 44% of South Africa’s workforce, only 27% occupy managerial positions, according to the World Bank

“In the maritime industry, the disparity is even greater: women account for just 1% of active seafarers globally and less than 20% of the overall maritime workforce. 

“Within the maritime sector, senior leadership in ports and shipping companies remains overwhelmingly male, and in many coastal communities, young girls still do not see themselves reflected in this industry.”

Chikunga stressed the untapped potential of South Africa’s ocean economy, noting that despite the country’s 3000km coastline, nine commercial ports, and an exclusive economic zone of 1.5 million km², the sector’s contribution to GDP remains underdeveloped.

She pointed to Operation Phakisa, the national “Blue Oceans Economy” strategy launched in 2014, as a key driver of growth, with the potential to contribute R177 billion to the GDP and create between 800 000 and one million direct jobs by 2030.

“The Blue Oceans Economy Strategy unveiled a plethora of maritime industries which others were dormant in South Africa. Operation Phakisa, the blue oceans economy strategy places women and youth as central to the sustainability of the sector,” Chikunga said.

With the help of the World Maritime University and state institutions such as the Transport Education and Training Agency (TETA) there is funding for students to take up maritime studies for different maritime professions, thus facilitating a capable competent workforce.

“The World Maritime University further assisted in the process of establishing Our Universities to have Maritime qualifications like the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth South Africa – hence we have the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) today,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) has allocated R82 million for the procurement and implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system for South African football.

“This initiative aims to enhance the integrity, fairness, and overall quality of domestic competitions by addressing ongoing concerns over refereeing decisions that have led to fan dissatisfaction and which stand to impact South Africa’s future standing among footballing nations if VAR is not adopted,” the department said on Thursday.

This project is being implemented by the department, in close collaboration with the South African Football Association (SAFA) and the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

This funding will enable the swift development of a comprehensive project plan, training programmes for referees and officials, technology selection, stadium assessments, and the establishment of a VAR Training Centre. 

A portion of the budget will be dedicated to providing reliable connectivity at relevant stadiums, ensuring seamless integration of the VAR system while also enhancing overall stadium safety, for instance, by facilitating better communication in emergencies such as locating missing children.

Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie said: “We commend SAFA’s dedication to this process and their prioritisation of transparency and FIFA compliance. These measures will undoubtedly contribute to the successful rollout of VAR, enhancing the integrity and quality of our domestic competitions. 

“The nation is eagerly awaiting the delivery of this system, especially as we continue to see questionable decisions by referees during matches. The department remains fully supportive and looks forward to continued collaboration with SAFA and the PSL.”

The department had published a Request for Proposals (RFP) for VAR technology and received responses from potential providers.

The department said SAFA’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and adherence to FIFA’s requirements has been exemplary, with a strong focus on appointing a dedicated VAR Project Team and re-engaging the PSL to ensure a collaborative rollout.

“The department urges all stakeholders to proceed with urgency to ensure this allocation is utilised effectively within the current financial year, paving the way for VAR’s successful introduction in South African leagues.” – SAnews.gov.za

Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has undergone successful eye surgery performed by a predominantly young team of medical professionals at St John Eye Clinic in Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Soweto, Johannesburg.

Yesterday, the Department of Health announced that the Minister had been experiencing ongoing vision problems that required surgical intervention and had spent several months on the waiting list before undergoing the procedure.

According to the Department of Health, the St John Eye Clinic is one of the country’s public eye clinics, which provides treatment for various eye conditions, including retinal issues, glaucoma, and corneal problems.

Following his surgery, Motsoaledi has urged members of the public to undergo regular eye tests to maintain eye health and to detect serious eye diseases like cataracts and glaucoma early, which can lead to preventable loss of vision or blindness.

“The Minister also wanted to lead by example that public health facilities are not meant for certain groups of people, but all South Africans, and provide quality healthcare despite the longer waiting times at times,” the department said.

Meanwhile, collaboration between the department and Transnet to improve access to eye care services through the Phelophepa Healthcare Train continues.

The train travels across the country, offering a range of free eye tests and affordable glasses, among other health services.

“This is part of taking health services to the people programme, which is crucial for the country to achieve Universal Health Coverage to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare, reduce health inequalities and improve population health outcomes,” the department said.

In addition, the department said the Minister also wanted to lead by example that public health facilities are not meant for certain groups of people, but all South Africans, and provide quality healthcare, despite the longer waiting times at times. – SAnews.gov.za