Ramaphosa’s G20 address underscores the need for constitutional reform

Media Statement 30 November 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE INTERNATIONAL RELEASE

Ramaphosa’s G20 address underscores the need for constitutional reform

Pretoria — The think tank and advocacy group Lex Libertas has concluded that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s live address regarding the G20 underscores why South Africa urgently needs meaningful constitutional reform toward decentralisation and self-governance.

The President dismissed concerns by minority communities and the United States as “baseless allegations” and accused unnamed groups and individuals of spreading misinformation. Yet this stands in stark contrast to domestic reality. As Lex Libertas has previously noted, the South African government continues to deny the very crises it is responsible for — including targeted violence, discriminatory legislation, and the ongoing pursuit of expropriation without compensation. The President condemns alleged misinformation abroad while presiding over policies at home that inflame division and undermine constitutional rights.

Dr Ernst Roets, Executive Director of Lex Libertas, has described the President’s appeal for “dialogue” as disingenuous. “The National Dialogue he champions as a solution has consistently excluded voices raising legitimate concerns. The call for citizens to solve South Africa’s problems rings hollow when the government itself denies the existence of these problems and shows little genuine willingness to engage.”

South Africa cannot repair relations with the United States — or the wider international community — while refusing to confront its own governance failures. Restoring trust requires more than speeches; it requires structural reform that empowers communities, limits the abuse of centralised power, and lays the foundation for a viable political order.

Lex Libertas will continue to advocate for such reforms and for an honest reckoning with the country’s deepening crisis.

Lex Libertas is a think tank and advocacy group working towards a viable political dispensation in South Africa, based on the principles of freedom, decentralisation, and self-governance.