JOHANNESBURG - South Africa is in the eye of the storm.
But despite this the country has been able to assert its leadership as the host of the G20 Summit.
This is according to political analyst Imraan Buccus, who was referencing among other things the countries relationship with the United States, its position on critical minerals as well as the case it launched against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
"It was South Africa asserting itself. Of course, some people will say, well, you're hosting this big event and claim to have this moral high ground. And I think South Africa's morality in terms of international relations is sometimes disrupted by what it does domestically."
"I think that punctures our international relations to some extent. But, that's not how politics works. We're making a critically important intervention internationally," Buccus said, referring to the G20 Presidency.
President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the G20 Leaders’ summit in Johannesburg on Saturday, emphasising the need for "multilateralism" to confront "the threats facing humanity today".
His call was made to a room full of leaders from major economies around the world, with the notable exception of US President Donald Trump, who boycotted the summit.