‘MVP of the Summit’: South Africans laud PM Modi’s statesmanship at G20

Johannesburg, Nov 24 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s astute statesmanship at the just-concluded G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg has come in for a huge praise from the South Africans who expressed their deep gratitude to the Indian leader for his continuous support for the African nation throughout its G20 presidency.

Several people took to X to praise PM Modi for the support offered by India to South Africa during its G20 Presidency, calling him the “MVP of the Summit.” The visit marked PM Modi’s 12th G20 Summit participation since assuming office in 2014.

A user on X named Ulrich Janse van Vuuren wrote in a post, “Have to say I’m so impressed with how supportive and gracious India has been towards South Africa and the continent throughout the G20. So much love for India!”

Another user named Makhosazana Zwane-Siguqa on X wrote, “I’ve fallen for Modi. Big time. His energy is just so energising. He takes us seriously.”

PM Modi was warmly welcomed by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Summit in Johannesburg as the world leaders gathered for the historic first Summit on the African Continent under the South African G20 Presidency.

“Prime Minister Modi is the official influencer of the G20 South Africa Summit. He has been feeding the timeline with proper content throughout his stay here. I love to see this. He’s also been striking deals with countries, he’s on a mission,” wrote another social media user Molatelo Racheku on X.

Many also praised PM Modi for sharing several significant details regarding the G20 Summit. A user named Tokoloho Moletsane thanked PM Modi and his social media team for supporting South Africa during its G20 Presidency.

“Malume Modi, we want to thank you and your media/social media team. You kept all of us updated on G20 South Africa and the people of India must appreciate you. We are witnesses that you definitely put in the work for the entire population. Thank you for supporting South Africa,” Moletsane posted on X.

A user named Nompumelelo Ndlovu posted a screenshot of a PM Modi’s post on X and wrote, “Getting G20 snippets from this page, sana they mean business with the updates.” A user named Clinton on X wrote, “The G20 summed up in one X account.”

During the summit, PM Modi met several key leaders including French President President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Ethiopia’s PM Abiy Ahmed Ali, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.

Several South Africans also made it a point to reply to PM Modi as he shared details regarding his engagements in South Africa.

“The biggest democracy in the world will be attending the G20 representing the interests of more than 1.4 billion people. South Africa welcomes India and welcomes your constructive engagement with the rest of the world,” a user on X named Tim Modise wrote.

A user named Cllr Welekazi in a post on X stated, “Mr Modi is the MVP of this summit.” Another social media user named Thiathu Manenzhe wrote, “Modi wins the social influencer award for this gathering, by miles.”

Another social media user stated, “You are home when you are here, the second biggest Indian population outside India is in SA. Your support for SA is a support for INDIA.”

Notably, world leaders at the G20 Summit reached broad consensus on disaster resilience, debt sustainability, just energy transitions and critical minerals as they adopted the G20 South Africa Summit’s Leaders’ Declaration on Saturday.

–IANS

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