Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has apologised to President Cyril Ramaphosa after the latter lamented the state of province, particularly Johannesburg.
Ramaphosa was visiting Johannesburg on Thursday, 6 March, ahead of the G20 Summit in November 2025, and the president had a review of the decay in the country’s economic hub.
Gauteng premier says sorry to Ramaphosa
Speaking hours after Ramaphosa voiced his unhappiness over the situation, Lesufi implicitly agreed with the president’s assessment of Johannesburg.
“I apologise to the president that he had that particular experience and we felt that we will identify venues for other meetings, identify areas that will leave a lasting impression and a lasting legacy to those that are visiting our country.” Lesufi said to the media.
Lesufi also highlighted the work done in Johannesburg to date but denied that this was solely for the purpose of upgrading ahead of the G20 Summit.
“I committed on behalf of government that we will not have the situation that the president has come here [Johannesburg] to find. We have already put together a team. If you check… they have already put up CCTV cameras, we have had a joint meeting with the mayor to deal with this situation. But we are not dealing with these issues specifically for G20. We need a legacy programme that can be enjoyed by all South Africans,” Lesufi said.
Ramaphosa’s disapproval made clear
Earlier on Thursday, Ramaphosa highlighted his disappointment during his visit to Johannesburg.
“The environment that one observed was not a pleasing environment. I say this so that we can improve immensely. As South Africans we are proud people and let us let that pride that we have, self-pride, lift us up so that we do present a G20 that will wow people,” Ramaphosa commented.
Additionally, Ramaphosa stressed the importance of Gauteng’s position in South Africa as the nation’s economic hub.
“It is the single most critical economic hub in the country, serving as a powerhouse of finance, governance, industry and innovation,” Ramaphosa said.
In line with this, Ramaphosa voiced his opinion that Gauteng’s failure would be detrimental to the country’s survival.
“It is the single most critical economic hub in the country, serving as a powerhouse of finance, governance, industry and innovation.
“The economic success of Gauteng is, in the end, integral to the economic success of our country. If Gauteng fails, South Africa cannot succeed,” the president warned.
Lesufi comments made amid backlash over G20 Summit preparations
Lesufi’s denial that improvements in Gauteng are being made solely for the G20 Summit comes in the wake of backlash against Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero.
Morero earlier in the week commented that the Johannesburg was prioritising improvements in anticipation of the summit.
“We are doing our level best, we’ve prioritised certain routes within Johannesburg which are G20 routes, to ensure that at least we can make them the standard that they should be; no potholes, no traffic signals that aren’t working. So, we’re focusing on that,” he said.
The response to this was largely negative as residents voiced their disapproval over the lack of service in other areas, some even going as far as to call for Morero’s resignation.
Do you feel SA should prioritise fixes for the G20 Summit?
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