South African President Cyril Ramaphosa sparked laughter during his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, joking that New Delhi should have warned him about how demanding it is to host a G20 Summit. His light-hearted remark came as South Africa wrapped up the first-ever G20 Summit held on African soil.
With a firm tap of the gavel, Ramaphosa formally closed the event and handed over the G20 presidency to the US.
Leaders Review Ties on G20 Sidelines
On the sidelines of the Johannesburg summit, Modi and Ramaphosa held detailed talks covering a wide spectrum of cooperation, from trade and investment to mining, critical minerals, AI, and food security.
During the delegation-level discussions, Ramaphosa expressed gratitude to India for its support throughout South Africa’s G20 presidency.
“Thank you for the support that India has given to South Africa in hosting the G20… You should have told us that it is such a difficult task, maybe we would have run away,” he joked, drawing warm laughter from Modi and the room.
Warm Appreciation From South Africa!
During the bilateral summit with PM @narendramodi on the sidelines of the G20, President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed warm appreciation for India’s support. He remarked that hosting the G20 was far more challenging than expected and noted how… pic.twitter.com/WqjEUIzO1X
— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) November 23, 2025
South Africa Praises India’s 2023 G20 Hosting
Reflecting on India’s leadership in 2023, Ramaphosa said his country had learnt a great deal from New Delhi. “We have learned a lot from your hosting of the G20… and yours was spectacular… building… ours is really small,” he said.
Modi responded instantly, “Small is always beautiful,” prompting another round of smiles. India had hosted the 18th G20 Summit at the newly unveiled Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi in September 2023, a year significant for welcoming the African Union as a permanent G20 member.
Modi Shares Key Takeaways from Bilateral Talks
After the meeting, Modi posted on X that he had an “excellent” conversation with Ramaphosa. He said both sides reviewed the full range of the India–South Africa partnership, particularly efforts to expand cooperation in commerce, culture, investment, technology, AI, skilling, and critical minerals.
Modi also congratulated Ramaphosa on successfully steering South Africa’s G20 presidency.
In addition, he thanked the South African leader for the cheetah relocation project and invited him to join the International Big Cat Alliance led by India, the Ministry of External Affairs noted.
Ramaphosa assured Modi that South Africa would fully support India when it assumes the BRICS chairship in 2026. As the summit closed, Ramaphosa’s repeated joke, “You should have told us that it is such a difficult task, maybe we would have run away,” captured the camaraderie between the two leaders, offering a refreshing human moment amid high-level diplomacy.
