Johannesburg (TDI): As South Africa prepares to host the G20 summit on 22-23 November, President Cyril Ramaphosa has once again redirected shots at the United States by saying Washington’s absence is “their loss,” following Trump’s announcement earlier this week to boycott the event.
The US is scheduled to take over the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 from South Africa at the end of the year; which makes the ongoing tussle even more consequential.
Ramaphosa said “We are going to make key decisions, and the US is giving up a very important role it should be playing,” adding that “boycott politics” rarely succeeds.
The summit, the first G20 meeting to take place in Africa, was expected to draw representatives from all 20 major economies until Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that no US officials will attend, citing disputed claims of “white genocide” and land seizures in South Africa.
Trump and others, including South African-born Elon Musk, have also accused South Africa’s government of racism against whites due to its affirmative action policies. These regulations, however, are intended to improve chances for the Black majority, who were previously oppressed under apartheid.
Read More: US Boycotts G20 in South Africa Over ‘White Genocide’ Claim
The tussle stems from South Africa’s land reform law and the United States’ decision in May to provide asylum to more than 50 white South Africans who claimed persecution as a result of Pretoria’s redistribution policy. South African government dismissed the charges as false and ahistorical.
While Washington withdraws, Ramaphosa maintained that the G20 will proceed anyway, backed by African and Global South states who support the agenda titled “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.”
The US decision could undermine its influence within the G20, especially as the bloc increasingly includes diverse economic players such as China, India, and several African nations. At the same time, South Africa sees this as a chance to elevate Africa’s voice in global governance.
As the summit opens, all eyes will be on whether the remaining members can turn the US absence into a more inclusive, multipolar agenda, or if the missing American delegation points to deeper fractures among global partners.
Minahil Khurshid holds a Master's in Peace and Conflict Studies from NUST. She is passionate about current affairs, public policy, and geopolitics.
