‘You should have warned us!’ Ramaphosa jokes with PM Modi on hosting G20

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday jokingly told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India should have warned them how difficult hosting a G20 Summit is. “You should have told us that it is such a difficult task, maybe we would have run away,” he said with a laugh during their bilateral meeting in Johannesburg. South Africa is hosting the G20 Summit for the first time—and the first ever to be held in Africa.

Thanking India for its support, Ramaphosa said, “We have learned a lot from your hosting of the G20… yours was spectacular. Ours is really small.”

PM Modi immediately responded with a smile, saying, “Small is always beautiful.”

India had hosted the 18th G20 Summit in September 2023 at the newly unveiled Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. During India’s presidency, the African Union was inducted as a permanent member of the G20, a historic development.

The ongoing summit in Johannesburg marks the culmination of a year-long series of G20 ministerial meetings, official discussions and civil society engagements.