South Africa to take ‘commercial break’ from G-20 after Trump’s snub
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South Africa's presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said previously that the country would not be lobbying other nations for support.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s presidency joked on Dec 4 that the country would “take a commercial break” from the Group of 20 while US President Donald Trump leads the forum, after the Trump administration confirmed it will not invite South Africa to participate.
The US took over the rotating presidency of the G-20 last week after boycotting the summit that President Cyril Ramaphosa hosted in Johannesburg
“About this time next year, the UK will be taking over the G-20 presidency. We will be able to engage meaningfully and substantively over what really matters to the rest of the world,” said Mr Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya.
“For now, we will take a commercial break until we resume normal programming,” he wrote on social media.
Relations between Washington and Pretoria have reached a low in 2025 as Mr Trump has repeatedly made false claims about a “white genocide” in South Africa and criticised the country for its policies aimed at addressing racial inequality.
Mr Trump’s administration also opposed the theme of South Africa’s G-20 presidency, which was “solidarity, equality and sustainability”.
Mr Trump had already said that South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 G-20 leaders’ summit
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to confirm on Dec 3 that South Africa would not be able to take part in any G-20 engagements in 2026.
“President Trump and the United States will not be extending an invitation to the South African government to participate in the G-20 during our presidency,” he said in a statement.
South Africa is a founding member of the G-20, which brings together the world’s largest economies.
Presidential spokesman Magwenya said previously that Pretoria would not lobby other nations for support, but that it had received messages of solidarity from a number of other G-20 members. REUTERS
