Keypoints:
- Ramaphosa says summit will proceed despite US snub
- Washington skips first G20 on African soil
- Pretoria to push Global South priorities
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has dismissed the United States’ decision to boycott this month’s G20 summit in Johannesburg, declaring that the meeting of the world’s largest economies will proceed as planned. Speaking to reporters in Cape Town on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said Washington’s absence would not diminish the significance of the historic gathering — the first G20 summit ever to be held on African soil.
‘We will take fundamental decisions, and their absence is their loss,’ Ramaphosa said. ‘In many ways, the United States is also giving up the very important role that they should be playing as the biggest economy in the world,’ he added.
His remarks followed President Donald Trump’s weekend announcement that no US officials would attend the Johannesburg meeting, after months of disagreement between the two countries over the summit’s agenda.
Pretoria and Washington at odds over agenda
Relations between South Africa and the United States have cooled in recent months, with tensions rising over Pretoria’s G20 priorities and global policy stance. Washington has criticised the summit’s theme — Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability — as ‘anti-American’, a characterisation South Africa rejects.
Ramaphosa said the US boycott would not stop the summit from making crucial progress on global debt reform and development financing. ‘Boycotting never achieves anything of great impact,’ he said, noting that decisions taken at the Johannesburg meeting would ‘move the various issues ahead’.
Set for November 22–23, the summit marks a major milestone for Africa’s place in global economic discussions. As G20 chair, South Africa has pledged to use its presidency to highlight the needs of developing nations, from climate resilience to debt relief, before handing over leadership to the United States next year.
Trump reignites tensions with South Africa
The US boycott adds to recent friction between Washington and Pretoria since Trump’s return to the White House in January. Trump has accused South Africa of systemic violence against white Afrikaners, claiming they are being ‘killed’ — allegations that Pretoria has firmly denied.
In May, Trump authorised refugee status for Afrikaners, with around 50 reportedly flown to the United States. The move further strained diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The Trump administration has also criticised South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and domestic empowerment policies designed to address inequalities inherited from apartheid.
G20 summit to go ahead without US
Established in 1999, the Group of 20 (G20) brings together 19 nations and two regional blocs — the European Union and the African Union — representing 85 percent of global GDP and about two-thirds of the world’s population.
Ramaphosa stressed that the summit would proceed as planned and deliver meaningful outcomes for developing nations. ‘The world cannot stand still because one nation decides to stay away,’ he said.
The Johannesburg G20 meeting is expected to focus on fairer global trade, debt restructuring, and sustainable economic growth — priorities that South Africa says reflect the aspirations of the Global South.
