SA’s economic hub, Gauteng, expects to pull in an additional R3.6bn in revenue this month as the province hosts global heads of state and business delegations for the G20 leaders’ summit.
The expected boost highlights Gauteng’s position as SA’s economic centre, home to Johannesburg, Pretoria and the continent’s busiest financial district at a time when the country is working to attract investment, grow tourism and rebuild confidence.
“This November we anticipate more than R3.6bn in incremental economic activity linked to G20 events and associated visits,” said Barba Gaoganediwe, head of destination marketing and communication at the Gauteng Tourism Authority.
The G20 summit, one of the world’s most influential economic and political gatherings, brings together leaders from the largest advanced and emerging economies. Host cities typically benefit from a surge in hotel occupancy, restaurant spending, transport services and corporate events linked to high-level diplomatic and business engagements.
For Gauteng, which accounts for roughly a third of SA GDP despite being its smallest province, the boost comes as the province pushes to revive tourism, attract multinational businesses and strengthen its positioning as the continent’s gateway for trade and investment.
Johannesburg, which is plagued by mounting debt, service delivery breakdowns and governance instability, is set to host the leaders’ summit scheduled for November 23-24.
The Gauteng premier said the city has made extensive preparations, including hosting eight working committee meetings, four ministerial meetings and two summits. Infrastructure upgrades have been made, such as filling potholes, improving streetlights, and ensuring water and energy security.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to the province earlier in the year prompted the appointment of a presidential working committee to accelerate improvements, Lesufi said. Johannesburg is the subject of presidential intervention aimed at addressing service delivery challenges in a metro that is responsible for 16% of SA’s GDP and employs 12% of the national workforce.
“The president raised deep concerns over the province’s deteriorating infrastructure, citing persistent issues like water shortages, nonfunctional traffic lights, power cuts, uncollected waste and sewer spills, which he deemed unacceptable ahead of this global event,” Lesufi told reporters on Tuesday.
“We have redirected our budget on service delivery, which a normal process. For example, the department of roads in our province, we had to give them an additional R150m to fix the streetlights, to fix the fatigue lights and to fix potholes on main roads,” Lesufi said.
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