Keypoints:
- US shifts stance at last minute
- Pretoria pushes back on pressure
- Summit to proceed with full agenda
SOUTH Africa says the United States has unexpectedly indicated it now wants to take part in this weekend’s G20 summit in Johannesburg, reversing its earlier boycott and adding a late diplomatic twist just hours before leaders gather. President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed the development on Thursday, describing it as an eleventh-hour message that Pretoria is still trying to unpack.
President Donald Trump’s administration had previously notified South Africa that it would not attend the November 22–23 meeting and insisted that no joint leaders’ declaration could be issued without US approval. The stance capped months of disagreements between the two countries over global governance priorities, domestic political tensions and South Africa’s thematic focus for the first G20 summit ever hosted on African soil.
Ramaphosa told reporters on Thursday: ‘We have received notice from the United States, a notice which we are still in discussions with them over, about a change of mind about participating in one shape, form or other in the summit.’
Pretoria seeks clarity over last-minute entry
The President emphasised that the timing was far from ideal. ‘This comes at the late hour before the summit begins. And so therefore, we do need to engage in those types of discussions to see how practical it is and what it finally really means,’ he said.
There has been no immediate confirmation from US officials. Ramaphosa explained that Pretoria has requested further details to understand Washington’s intentions. ‘We still need to engage with them to understand fully what their participation at the eleventh hour means and how it will manifest itself,’ he noted.
The development came less than a week after the US embassy reiterated in writing that it would not attend the summit. In its note, Washington argued that South Africa’s G20 priorities ‘run counter to the US policy views and we cannot support consensus on any documents negotiated under your presidency’.
Ramaphosa: ‘No country should be bullied’
Earlier on Thursday, Ramaphosa took aim at global power imbalances during a G20 curtain-raiser event. ‘It cannot be that a country’s geographical location or income or army determines who has a voice and who is spoken down to,’ he said. He also stressed that ‘there should be no bullying of one nation by another’.
Despite months of tension, Ramaphosa described the US rethink as encouraging. ‘All countries are here, and the United States, the biggest economy in the world, needs to be here,’ he said. South Africa has maintained that it will not be pressured into abandoning its programme or its goal of securing consensus on a leaders’ statement.
Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola underscored this point: ‘We will not be told by anyone who is absent that we cannot adopt a declaration or make any decisions at the summit.’
US–South Africa relations at their tensest in years
Relations between Pretoria and Washington have deteriorated significantly since Trump returned to office in January. The President has repeatedly targeted South Africa on social media, reviving debunked claims of white Afrikaners being systematically ‘killed and slaughtered’. His administration expelled South Africa’s ambassador in March and imposed thirty percent tariffs on South African goods — the highest levies placed on any sub-Saharan African country.
This combative stance extended into disagreements over South Africa’s G20 agenda. Pretoria adopted the theme ‘Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability’ and prioritised disaster resilience, debt sustainability for low-income nations, financing a just energy transition and using critical minerals for sustainable development. Washington objected to several of these priorities early in the year and resisted efforts to reshape global financial frameworks through G20 consensus.
Business ties steady despite diplomatic turbulence
Despite the political tension, the United States remains deeply embedded in South Africa’s economy. More than six hundred American companies operate locally, according to the South African embassy in Washington. At a Business 20 gathering that concluded in Johannesburg on Thursday, US Chamber of Commerce chief Suzanne Clark thanked South Africa for fostering ‘real collaboration between G20 nations during a time of rapid change’. She added that the chamber would use its role during the US G20 presidency in 2026 to deepen global cooperation.
G20 members collectively produce eighty-five percent of global GDP and represent around two-thirds of the world’s population, underscoring the significance of Washington’s participation as the summit convenes in Africa for the first time.
