Ramaphosa shows how he holds online meetings from his home

The president's office at his Johannesburg residence looks like a TV studio as he meets with dozens of world leaders online.

This is how President Ramaphosa meets online from his private residence in Johannesburg. Picture: Presidency

Online meetings have become the new normal in lockdown, but ever wondered how President Cyril Ramaphosa himself manages to meet with heads of state from all over the world directly from his private residence?

The Covid-19 crisis is changing the way business and politics come together around the world.

Pictures released by the presidency show how the country’s leader has converted his home office into what looks like a TV studio, complete with lighting and professional cameras.

It shows how South Africa is represented to other states online, with the SA flag to one side and the president at a very clean-looking desk, a cellphone, remote control and diary being visible.

He was meeting with the Non-Aligned Movement yesterday in what was called a “virtual summit”.

Picture: Presidency

The movement is a forum of 120 developing nations that consider themselves not to be formally aligned with or against major power groups around the world. It is the largest grouping of states worldwide.

South Africa, as the current chair of the African Union, was invited as one of the selected countries from the African region.

According to the president’s office, Ramaphosa used the opportunity “to highlight South Africa and Africa’s response to the pandemic and call for countries of the NAM to use this crisis to strengthen solidarity and cooperation in the fight against Covid-19”.