By Zukile Majova
- Ramaphosa signed major deals with the European Union, securing over R95 billion in funding for green energy, hydrogen and infrastructure projects.
- As ANC leaders turn against him, Ramaphosa is uniting G20 countries to fight climate change, tackle poverty and support Africa’s economic future.
This is President Cyril Ramaphosa’s moment.
For once, the world is watching South Africa for the right reasons — and Ramaphosa is at the centre of it.
The G20 Summit is being held on African soil for the first time. And with it comes a rare opportunity for Ramaphosa to show the world why Nelson Mandela once picked him as a future leader of the nation.
He is not a man of firebrand speeches or stadium charm. But in the corridors of power, in boardrooms, and now at the summit table with the world’s most powerful leaders, Ramaphosa is in his element.
This could be his Mandela moment — to bring the world together when it is struggling with war, hunger, inequality and climate disaster.
His calm diplomacy and steady hand are being put to the test. And so far, he is delivering.
Ramaphosa has spent the week in non-stop meetings with global leaders, negotiating deals and building partnerships.
The European Union has already committed a €4.7 billion (R93,47 billion) investment package to support South Africa’s economic growth. It will focus on clean energy, infrastructure and green hydrogen development.
There’s also a new Clean Trade and Investment Partnership with the EU — aimed at making sure South Africa gets more value from its own minerals instead of just exporting them raw.
In short, this summit is no talk shop. It’s about action, investment and a shared future.
But this moment of triumph at home and abroad comes while his own party is turning on him.
Just last week, the ANC national executive committee held heated talks about removing him. A number of his own comrades are plotting to get rid of him as soon as possible — with no clear replacement in mind.
Many of them, frustrated that Ramaphosa has shut down the looting networks they once thrived on, have already left the party to join former president Jacob Zuma in the newly formed uMkhonto Wesizwe party.
Zuma has rewarded many of the architects of state capture with seats in Parliament. It’s a frightening reminder of how close South Africa came to being hijacked again.
Ramaphosa’s leadership might be slow and measured — but it has been devastating to the corrupt.
Law enforcement bodies like the Hawks and the Special Investigating Unit are back to doing their jobs.
And the taps of looting have been closed.
Still, Ramaphosa has never been a favourite among the masses.
He is not a strong campaigner. Under his leadership, the ANC has lost over 20% of its support.
But when it comes to diplomacy and deal-making, he is unmatched.
This G20 Summit is proof of that.
Ramaphosa is using the platform to push for a new global order — one that includes Africa not as a charity case, but as a partner in development.
Discussions are under way on:
- Climate change and clean energy
- Debt relief and economic support for low-income countries
- Pandemic readiness and global health systems
- Access to technology, artificial intelligence and the digital economy
- Food security, agriculture and disaster response
- Fairer global trade and investment rules
It will not be easy to get so many different leaders to agree.
But if anyone can make it happen, it’s Ramaphosa — the negotiator who helped write South Africa’s Constitution, the dealmaker who calmed a divided ANC, and now the president who could unite the G20 behind a shared purpose.
This summit may not win him fans back home.
His critics, including Zuma and even international opponents like former United States president Donald Trump, are waiting for him to fail.
But success on this stage could define Ramaphosa’s legacy far beyond South Africa.
It could place him among the global leaders who stepped up in a time of crisis — and offered the world a way forward.
For a president who has taken hits from all sides, this may be the moment where history remembers him not for speeches or scandals, but for leadership.
Ramaphosa may never be the hero of the streets.
But at the summit of global power, he is standing tall.
Picture caption: President Cyril Ramaphosa addressing the European Union Commission
Image Source: The Presidency
