South African police fired tear gas and pepper spray at dozens of protesters outside the G20 Leaders’ Summit venue on Saturday, after demonstrators attempted to move closer to the Nasrec Expo Centre where world leaders are meeting.
Members of Operation Dudula and the uMkhonto we Sizwe party clashed with police near the summit venue, leading to several arrests. The protesters, who had been allocated a designated area more than a kilometer from the conference centre, said they wanted to ensure their message reached international delegates attending Africa’s first G20 summit.
Police said the demonstrators breached security protocols when they attempted to leave the designated protest area. Operation Dudula leader Zandile Dabula was pepper-sprayed during the confrontation and was escorted to her vehicle, according to local media reports.
“It’s meaningless to be hosting other countries when you can’t even do the right things for your own people,” Dabula told Eyewitness News before being pepper-sprayed. “Yes, it’s a privilege that South Africa is the first African country to host, but it’s meaningless if we’re suffering.”
Operation Dudula, a civic movement that campaigns against illegal immigration, cited unemployment, immigration issues and corruption as key concerns the government should prioritize. The group said the protest aimed to highlight domestic challenges while international leaders focus on global economic issues.
Several protesters were arrested following the clashes, according to the South African Broadcasting Corporation. Police also deployed rubber bullets to disperse crowds who demanded to move closer to the summit venue, media reports said.
Deputy National Commissioner for Policing Tebello Mosikili had warned earlier this week that authorities would not tolerate disruptions to the summit. “We will not allow any disruptions, lawlessness and no damaging and defacing of G20 infrastructure,” Mosikili said at a briefing on Tuesday.
South Africa deployed 3,500 extra police officers for the two-day summit, with the army placed on standby under the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure.
The G20 summit, which runs through Sunday, has been overshadowed by a United States boycott. U.S. President Donald Trump refused to attend over disputed claims about South Africa’s treatment of its white minority population.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has used the country’s G20 presidency to champion developing world concerns, including debt relief, climate finance and access to critical minerals.
