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SA draws line on summit ‘summoning’ culture

Pretoria questions the practice of convening African leaders en masse as Ramaphosa declines Nairobi meeting

1 min read
President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron at the ​Johannesburg Expo Centre for the G20 Leaders' Summit in November 2025. File phoito.
President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron at the ​Johannesburg Expo Centre for the G20 Leaders' Summit in November 2025. File phoito.Picture: Halden Krog

Pretoria is growing increasingly weary of European and other developed countries “summoning” African heads of state under the guise of hosting summits.

According to South African diplomats, there is a rising sense of discomfort at what is perceived as the treatment of Africa as a single entity, with dozens of leaders called and addressed by individual European nations.

This, they say, is one of the reasons why President Cyril Ramaphosa has decided not to attend the France-Africa summit in Nairobi next month.

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