The US boycotted the two-day meeting of leaders from rich and emerging economies in Johannesburg over the Trump administration’s claims that South Africa is violently persecuting its Afrikaner white minority
Day 2 of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in motion, at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on Sunday. PIC/AFP
The Group of 20 (G20) summit in South Africa is set to end on Sunday with another diplomatic spat involving the US after the host country refused to hand over the rotating presidency of the bloc to what it described as a junior US official. The US boycotted the two-day meeting of leaders from rich and emerging economies in Johannesburg over the Trump administration’s claims that South Africa is violently persecuting its Afrikaner white minority.
The US is due to take over as G20 president for 2026, and says it will host its summit at President Donald Trump’s golf club in Doral, Florida. But South Africa insisted that a traditional handover ceremony at the end of this summit likely won’t happen because the US only wanted to send a diplomatic official from its embassy, calling it an insult to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“The US is a member of the G20, and if they want to be represented, they can still send anyone at the right level,” South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said. “It is the leaders’ summit. The right level is the head of state, a special envoy appointed by the president of that country, or it could also be a minister.”
South Africa said the handover would happen later, possibly at its foreign ministry building. It was not clear if any US officials would attend the closing day of the summit. The diplomatic rift between the US and South Africa deepened this week when Ramaphosa said the US had changed its mind and wanted to participate in the summit at the last minute. The White House denied that and said US officials would only attend the formal handover.
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