G20 Glamour, Grassroots Grief: Who Really Won?
As I am writing this piece, I am in deep pain. Yesterday it rained heavily, and the informal settlement was flooded. Women and children had no place to sleep, while the privileged were and still are celebrating the “successful” G20 event, sipping Irish coffee and eating croissants in flashy hotels. Meanwhile the real marginalised people are crying at the grassroots, worrying about their next meal and shelter because the little they had has been swept away by the floods.
We must commend South Africa for hosting an event of this magnitude; well done, BUT also not well done. Because the lives of those at the bottom of the social structure and the bottom of the economic hierarchy remain unchanged.
The Price Tag: R691 Million for Whom?
According to Business day, the South African government budgeted roughly R691 million to host the G20 summit. This includes about R194 million for the leaders’ summit itself, and R497 million for the preparatory meetings. It has been reported that tourism and hospitality projected an economic injection of R1–3 billion. So who is the biggest beneficiary here? Business? The State? Or the people? My guess, the State. Its goodwill has been enhanced. Not the country. Not its citizens. That money didn’t build bridges, homes, or uplift those who are now soaked and sleeping in uncertainty.
I Don’t Understand the Buzz
I honestly don’t understand the buzz over the G20. The real test of its impact will be measured by how much sustainable employment and sustainable economic growth it creates. This celebration; this clapping of hands for people who don’t deserve the applause, is nothing but a slap in the face of women at the grassroots whose lives remain unchanged. To them, there is no impact. They are still in the informal settlements. They are still unemployed. They are still battered by the partners who promised to love them. And they are still dying. Nothing changed.
Temporary Jobs, Temporary Profits
Let’s be honest; the G20 did not create employment. It created temporary jobs. And when the visitors leave, those jobs will also disappear. The profit margins that companies are celebrating are also temporary, not sustainable. The biggest earners here are the event planners and coordinators who have pocketed millions, while the small township businesses they partnered with for BEE window-dressing received the crumbs.
The Elite Eat, The Marginalised Starve
Foreign direct investment in renewable energy will benefit the same political elite who always benefit, while marginalised women continue to suffer. The billions being celebrated in tourism and hospitality will only benefit the owners of capital, who will reinvest it to grow their purses not the economy. So let’s stop pretending; the G20 did not yield sustainable economic growth.
Conclusion
Stop the plastic celebration. Look beyond the bubblegum excitement.
Did the G20 create sustainable employment?
Did the G20 transform the lives of marginalised people, especially women and children?
Did the G20 accelerate sustainable economic growth?
Did the G20 reduce the unemployment rate of 33.9%?
NO.
What the G20 has done is elevate the country’s political image.
Simple!
