South Africa beefs up security on streets, bracing for G20 summit protests

More than 3,500 constabulary officers deployed arsenic South Africa braces for protests during the G20 acme this weekend.

South African constabulary and service units person held a parade involving helicopters and officers connected motorcycles successful a amusement of unit successful beforehand of expected demonstrations astir the Group of 20 satellite leaders acme successful Johannesburg this weekend.

The subject flex connected Wednesday came arsenic authorities bolstered information by adding 3,500 constabulary officers and placing the service connected standby nether the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure – a unified bid that coordinates the country’s police, military, and quality agencies for high-profile events.

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Deputy nationalist commissioner for policing, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, told reporters connected Tuesday that authorities were expecting protests successful Johannesburg and different large South African cities.

“We volition let that close [to protest] to beryllium exercised,” she said. “But wrong the due directives and due confines of the law.”

South African constabulary said they person designated circumstantial areas for protesters to stitchery adjacent the acme venue, an accumulation centre adjacent to the country’s biggest shot stadium.

The two-day acme opens connected Saturday and is expected to pull leaders and apical diplomats from much than 40 countries arsenic good arsenic planetary institutions similar the United Nations. But the United States is boycotting.

Demonstrations are expected from anticapitalists, clime activists, women’s rights campaigners, anti-migrant groups and others, immoderate of whom are raising South Africa’s ain problems with poorness and inequality.

A Greenpeace activistic holds a banner successful Johannesburg, South Africa, November 19, 2025 [Esa Alexander/Reuters]

A commercialized national representing members of South Africa’s Afrikaner achromatic number has already stoked contention by putting up billboards astir Johannesburg that say: “Welcome to the astir RACE-REGULATED state successful the world.”

One of the boards was taken down by metropolis authorities, prompting the Afrikaner commercialized union, Solidarity, to endanger ineligible action.

The billboards are successful notation to South Africa’s affirmative enactment laws that beforehand opportunities for Black radical and person go portion of a diplomatic fallout betwixt South Africa and the US.

US President Donald Trump volition not be the G20 acme successful a boycott implicit his widely-rejected claims that South Africa’s Black-led authorities is pursuing racist, anti-white policies and violently persecuting its Afrikaner minority.

Trump’s claims person been wide rejected arsenic baseless, but the US authorities boycott threatens to undermine the archetypal G20 acme successful Africa.

South Africa rejected connected Wednesday a US request that nary leaders’ declaration beryllium issued aft the G20 acme this weekend, saying Washington had mislaid its accidental by boycotting the meeting.

Government officials confirmed reports that the US embassy had sent a diplomatic enactment implicit the play reiterating that Washington would not enactment successful the summit.

‘For the rich’

The Women for Change advocacy radical is calling for a nationalist shutdown connected Friday, the eve of the summit. It is asking women to boycott enactment connected the time successful protestation against South Africa’s highly precocious rates of unit against women and femicide.

“Because until South Africa stops burying a pistillate each 2.5 hours, the G20 cannot talk of maturation and progress,” Women for Change said.

A South African anti-immigration radical volition protestation against the joblessness and poorness successful the country, its person said, with the country’s 31 percent unemployment complaint 1 of the highest successful the world.

A conjugation of groups protesting against clime alteration and wealthiness inequality has organised an alternate acme successful different portion of Johannesburg starting connected Thursday, saying the G20 gathering is “for the rich”.