Ramaphosa says G20 clean-up shows what’s possible and must continue beyond the summit

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the improvements made in host cities ahead of the recent G20 Leaders’ Summit must continue beyond G20.

Thanking all South Africans on Sunday for making the summit a success, he said the visible improvements, including pothole and streetlight repairs and general clean-up operations, reflected the results of collective effort across municipalities.

“The cities showed what can be done when a concerted and coordinated effort is made to fix potholes and streetlights, to clean up our streets and maintain our infrastructure.”

Ramaphosa said the level of work should not end with the conclusion of the summit.

“This must continue past the G20 and must be expanded to areas in our towns and cities that have been neglected,” he said.

Ramaphosa said the success of the G20 gathering was owed to the “friendship, hospitality and generosity” of South Africans.

He said delegates from across the world had praised South Africans for embodying ubuntu.

“I wish to thank every South African for contributing to the success, and for showing the world the strength of our values, the generosity of our people and the power of what we can achieve when we work together.

“The impact of South Africa’s G20 extends beyond the warm welcome and memorable experiences of our visitors. From the outset, we placed Africa’s growth and development at the heart of the G20’s agenda,” he said.

Ramaphosa thanked South Africans for showing up for the country.

“For standing by your country. For showing time and again that no matter what difficulties we may face, when it comes down to it, you remain proudly South African.”

He said the summit, which was convened to advance the voice of civil society and was attended by more than 5,000 people from around the world, was an exceptional celebration of the diversity and vibrancy of global civil society.

“I know some of you might have been inconvenienced by the influx of visitors to our country, road closures and other disruptions to your daily lives. We thank you for being patient and we apologise for any difficulties you experienced. We thank the many people across the country who welcomed visitors to our cities, towns, airports, hotels, conference centres, restaurants and tourist sites,” he said.

Ramaphosa also thanked all members of social sectors who participated in the engagement groups and in other G20 activities throughout the year.

TimesLIVE