Ahead of the G20 Heads of State Summit in Johannesburg, more than 80 organisations — alongside artists, activists and citizens from across Africa and beyond — published this open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, calling on him to use South Africa’s historic G20 presidency to champion a global agenda to tax the super-rich for people and planet. 

The letter sets out the scale of the inequality crisis on the continent: in 2000, Africa had no billionaires; today it has 23, whose combined wealth has grown 56% in five years, while the continent’s four richest billionaires now hold more wealth than the poorest half of its 1.5 billion people. 

The signatories make a concrete case: a 1% wealth tax and 10% income tax on Africa’s richest 1% could raise $66 billion a year — enough to fund free education and universal electricity across the continent. Published in English, French, Arabic, Portuguese and Spanish, the letter frames November’s Summit as Africa’s moment to lead.