Mapaballo Borotho
- South Africa ends its G20 summit with lingering uncertainty over tensions with the United States despite securing unanimous support for the summit declaration.
- Heavy VIP movements and rolling road closures continue today, with major disruptions expected across Johannesburg.
- Severe thunderstorms are also forecast, increasing the risk of accidents on already strained routes.
As the G20 Leaders’ Summit concludes on Sunday, questions are mounting about whether tensions between South Africa and the United States could persist.
The uncertainty comes even as South Africa’s G20 presidency secured unanimous support for a summit declaration on Saturday. This means the G20 group, except the US, accepted a list of agreements yesterday.
Relations between Pretoria and Washington have been uneasy for months, stemming from US President Donald Trump’s unproven claims alleging a so-called white genocide targeting the minority Afrikaner community in South Africa.
The key issue now is how South Africa’s relationship with the US will evolve after the country successfully drove consensus on the declaration.
It is also important to note that Day 2 of the summit has a slightly shorter programme compared to Saturday. Session Three, focusing on a fair and just future for all, including critical minerals, decent work, and artificial intelligence, is scheduled to begin at 10 am.
Meanwhile, Airports Company South Africa has urged passengers to allow extra travel time as G20 delegates prepare to fly back home.
The final day of the summit brings high-volume VIP movements, with rolling closures in effect.
Motorists are advised that highways and main arterials will be fully closed intermittently to allow convoys to pass, causing sudden standstill traffic for 30–60 minutes at a time.
Johannesburg Metro Police spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the most critical times for these closures on Sunday are 07:00–10:00 and 15:00–20:00.
“We can confirm that specific closures will be in effect today, Sunday, in the Nasrec Precinct (Summit Venue)”.
- Nasrec Road: Closed between Rand Show Road and Shaft 17 Road
- Rand Show Road: Northern portion closed between the N1 and Nasrec Road
- Golden Highway: Closed between Rand Show Road and Soweto Highway
- Booysens Reserve Road: Closed near Crownwood Road,” said Fihla.
Motorists have also been warned to expect disruptions on Grayston Drive, Rivonia Road, Maude Street, Oxford Road and Jan Smuts Avenue as dignitaries move between their accommodations.
Weather services have also issued warnings for severe thunderstorms in Gauteng. The combination of slippery roads, poor visibility and heavy G20 congestion significantly increases the risk of accidents.
“We urge drivers to maintain a safe following distance and keep their headlights on. As of this morning, no new massive highway blockages have been reported, but the network is extremely fragile. Any minor accident will cause gridlock due to the existing G20 pressure,” said Fihla.
Motorists have been advised to avoid the highways (N1, M1, N12, R21, R24) where possible and use alternative routes.
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