South Africa currently holds the Presidency of the Group of 20, popularly known as G20. Through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the government has partnered with various stakeholders, including institutions of higher learning and civil society. Through these partnerships, Unisa and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) hosted a G20 Community Town Hall Engagement at UKZN's Westville Campus in Durban on 8 October 2025.

The G20 gathering will be coming to the African continent for the first time since its inception in 1999, when this forum was established as an informal meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors following the Asian financial crisis, which impacted international financial markets. In 2008, the ministers of the world's leading economies promoted the G20 into a formal forum of government leaders, led by the heads of state of governments from around the world.

When South Africa assumed the presidency of the forum, it announced the theme of "Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability". This theme became the guiding principle for the activities undertaken by the South African government, resulting from the coordination of social initiatives, including organising community town hall engagements.

The inaugural DIRCO-Unisa G20 community town hall engagement took place at Unisa’s Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria on 14 May 2025, followed by engagements in Mbombela on 8 August 2025 and Cape Town on 16 September 2025. The theme for the Durban outreach was "Financial Inclusion for Economic Development: Creating Access to Benefit Grassroots Economies".

The staff and students of Unisa and UKZN, as well as representatives from civil society organisations focused on women and youth issues, attended this community outreach event. Esteemed speakers addressed the gathering.

Participating in the panel discussion were Prof Thea van der Westhuizen and Dr Sanele Gumede, both from the College of Law at UKZN, Prof Sagie Narsiah from the College of Agriculture, Engineering, and Science at UKZN, Dr Mzwanele Ntshwanti from the College of Economic and Management Sciences at Unisa, and Nelson Kgwete from DIRCO. Dr Suhayfa Bhamjee from UKZN’s College of Law moderated the session.

In her opening remarks, Dr Maureen Tong, Director of Special Projects and International Relations at Unisa’s Office of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor, who is also the Deputy Chairperson of UKZN’s Council, said that the collaboration between DIRCO and institutions of higher learning was vital for a meaningful G20 Summit in South Africa since there should be tangible programmes that universities should drive after the summit has come and gone.

Dr Joyce Myeza, Regional Director of Unisa’s KwaZulu-Natal Region

Dr Joyce Myeza, Unisa’s Regional Director in KZN, delivered remarks on behalf of Unisa's Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Puleng LenkaBula. The message encouraged collaboration among researchers across the country, in Africa, and globally in search of scholarly solutions to today's challenges, which will have a significant impact on the future. She said the South African G20 Presidency is a vital moment to shape global dialogues and promote economic development, transformation, and opportunities. Unisa, as the largest university on the African continent, plays a crucial role in ensuring that the G20 benefits not only Africans but also has a positive impact on communities across the entire continent, thereby contributing to the achievement of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 Goals and the African Union's 2063 Sustainable Development Goals.

UKZN’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Nana Poku, was represented by Prof Freddy Duncan Mnyongani, Dean and Head of the School of Law, who welcomed the guests and officially kicked off the engagement. He said that this gathering would be impossible to have without the participation of ordinary South Africans, civil society, students and academics.

This community engagement indeed saw vibrant participation from different sectors, with students, social activists, women activists and university staff in attendance. Town hall engagements can be challenging to manage, but this one was very constructive and had meaningful participation from all who attended, led by the student representative council and social activists. The build-up towards the South African Social Summit's agenda was set at this community outreach.

All speakers and town hall participants agreed that the key primary focus of the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa should prioritise global reforms aimed at transforming international financial institutions, as well as addressing climate change, human capital development, human wellbeing and environmental sustainability worldwide.

* By Siyabonga Seme, Manager: Communication and Marketing, KwaZulu-Natal Region