South Africa spent about R1.03bn across national departments on its 2025 presidency of the G20, with R290m of that supported through private sector sponsorships, international relations and co-operation minister Ronald Lamola has revealed.
In a written parliamentary reply to DA MP Ryan Smith, Lamola said Dirco incurred costs of R391m linked to SA’s presidency of the forum.
He said the department received R290m in sponsorship funding from private sector partners, which helped fund activities and events associated with the presidency.
The series of events linked to the presidency also generated economic activity locally. Early projections suggest that G20-related meetings and preparations generated more than R1.2bn in direct tourism revenue, with the hospitality and accommodation sectors seeing the largest increases in demand.
Lamola added total spending across national departments reached R1.032bn by the end of January 2026, according to figures reported by Treasury.
The events brought thousands of international delegates, officials and media representatives to the country. Early estimates indicate the summit and related meetings generated more than R1bn in tourism revenue for Gauteng alone, driven largely by increased demand for hotels, transport and hospitality services.
SA held the rotating G20 presidency from December 2024 to November 2025, hosting dozens of ministerial meetings, working groups and diplomatic engagements ahead of the leaders’ summit in Johannesburg.
The G20 is the world’s premier forum for economic co-operation, representing economies that account for about 87% of global GDP and more than 75% of world trade.
Smith had also asked Lamola to provide a detailed breakdown of procurement linked to the presidency, including all tenders advertised and awarded for service providers, the names and headquarters addresses of companies involved, the services provided and the associated costs.
However, Lamola said his department was unable to provide the full procurement breakdown requested.
“The department will not be in [a] position to respond to this question in its entirety. It is therefore advised that the question be directed to National Treasury,” Lamola said in the reply.
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