Anti-capitalists, climate campaigners, women’s rights advocates, and anti-migrant groups plan protests highlighting poverty and inequality in South Africa.
Police and army displayed strength Wednesday using helicopters, K-9 units, and motorcycle officers ahead of the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
Authorities deployed 3,500 extra police officers and placed the army on standby under the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure.
Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili told reporters that authorities expect demonstrations in Johannesburg and other major cities.
She confirmed the government will allow protests but enforce legal boundaries strictly.
Police designated specific areas near the summit venue, an exhibition center beside South Africa’s largest soccer stadium.
Airports Company South Africa installed “speakers’ corners” at international airports, where security will escort demonstrators arriving for world leaders’ visits.
A trade union for Afrikaner minority members created controversy by erecting billboards reading: “Welcome to the most RACE-REGULATED country in the world.”
City officials removed one billboard, prompting Solidarity to threaten legal action.
The billboards criticize affirmative action laws that advance Black South Africans’ opportunities and have strained relations with the United States.
President Donald Trump plans to boycott the summit, claiming South Africa enforces racist, anti-white policies and persecutes Afrikaners.
Authorities and observers widely reject Trump’s claims as false, but the US boycott risks undermining Africa’s first G20 summit.
Women for Change calls for a national shutdown on Friday to protest extreme violence against women and femicide.
The group urges women to stay home, emphasizing South Africa buries a woman every 2.5 hours.
An anti-immigration group will protest unemployment and poverty, citing South Africa’s 31% jobless rate.
Climate and wealth inequality coalitions plan an alternative summit starting Thursday, criticizing the G20 as benefiting the wealthy.
Authorities Strengthen Security and Public Areas
Johannesburg authorities launched a major cleanup and repair operation ahead of the summit to address failing infrastructure.
President Cyril Ramaphosa joined the effort, working in Soweto a few miles from the summit venue.
Officials repaired roads, cleared debris, and addressed broken streetlights and unreliable services before the two-day political meeting.
Many residents view the multi-million-dollar effort with skepticism, given Johannesburg’s history of deteriorating public services.
Johannesburg resident Lerato Lelusa said hosting the G20 does not benefit ordinary citizens and wastes taxpayer money.
Global Leaders Convene in Johannesburg
The two-day summit opens Saturday, attracting leaders and senior diplomats from more than 40 countries.
Global institutions including the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organisation will also participate.
Authorities expect protests, alternative demonstrations, and international scrutiny alongside the arrival of world leaders.
