Tight security as G20 begins

South Africa opened the G20 Summit in Johannesburg on Saturday with a strong international presence, even as the United States remained absent from the gathering. The annual meeting is taking place at the Nasrec Exhibition Centre where dignitaries from around the world arrived throughout the morning under a highly secured environment.

Luxury armoured vehicles delivered heads of state and senior government officials to the venue. A red carpet was rolled out for each arrival and President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy President Paul Mashatile welcomed delegations as they stepped out to enter the plenary hall. Security officers were stationed at every corner of the venue with heavily armed units patrolling the grounds. Organisers have tightened access control and said they were not taking any chances with the safety of leaders attending the summit.

Media crews were transported in a secured convoy from the FNB Stadium to Nasrec. Journalists underwent several layers of screening before entering the venue where coverage areas were separated from restricted sections. Authorities said the transport arrangement was necessary to maintain managed movement and ensure the smooth running of the high level event.

The absence of the United States became official when the Department of International Relations and Cooperation marked the country as not attending. Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told journalists at the summit that no accreditation had been submitted by the US and that South Africa would proceed as planned. He said that although the US had indicated in the final hours that junior officials from its Pretoria embassy could be sent to receive the G20 presidency for next year, no documentation had followed.

Phiri said the president would not hand over the G20 presidency to a junior official and that such a process would take place at the correct level when appropriate. He urged the media to direct attention to participating leaders and the work being done inside the venue.

The US decision to stay away follows recent public comments by US President Donald Trump, who announced that no American representative would attend and repeated claims that white Afrikaner communities in South Africa faced targeted attacks and land dispossession. His remarks led to widespread reaction in the days before the summit.

Despite the absence, world leaders started closed door sessions soon after arrival. Organisers said the programme for the weekend would continue without disruption.