In an 11th-hour about-turn, the United States has told South Africa it wants to take part in this weekend’s G20 summit in Johannesburg, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thursday.
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President Donald Trump’s administration had said it would not take part in the November 22-23 meeting and that no final statement by G20 leaders could be issued without its presence.
It has clashed with South Africa over various international and domestic policies this year, extending its objections to Pretoria’s G20 priorities for the meeting of leading economies being held for the first time in Africa.
“We have received notice from the United States, a notice which we are still in discussions with them over, about a change of mind regarding participating in one shape, form, or another in the summit,” Ramaphosa told reporters.
“This comes at the late hour before the summit begins. 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 was no immediate confirmation from US officials.
Ramaphosa said: “We still need to engage with them to understand fully what their participation at the 11th hour means and how it will manifest itself.”
In a note to the government on Saturday, the US embassy repeated that it would not attend the summit, saying 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 said earlier Thursday that South Africa would not be bullied.
“It cannot be that a country’s geographical location, income, or army determines who has a voice and who is spoken down to,” he told delegates at a G20 curtain-raiser event.
There “should be no bullying of one nation by another,” he said.
– ‘Positive sign’ –
Ramaphosa said the apparent change of heart was “a positive sign.”
“All countries are here, and the United States, the biggest economy in the world, needs to be here,” he said.
South Africa chose “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability” as the theme of its presidency of the G20, which comprises 19 countries and two regional bodies, the European Union and the African Union.
Its agenda focuses on strengthening disaster resilience, improving debt sustainability for low-income countries, financing a “just energy transition,” and harnessing “critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development.”
After early objections from Washington, it vowed to press on with its programme and its aim to find consensus on a leaders’ statement on the outcome of the discussions.
“We will not be told by anyone who is absent that we cannot adopt a declaration or make any decisions at the summit,” Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Thursday.
Trump has singled out South Africa for harsh treatment on a number of issues since he returned to the White House in January, notably making debunked claims of white Afrikaners being systematically “killed and slaughtered” in the country.
He expelled South Africa’s ambassador in March and imposed 30 percent trade tariffs, the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.
US businesses were well represented at a separate Business 20 (B20) event that wound up in Johannesburg Thursday.
The head of the US Chamber of Commerce, Suzanne Clark, thanked South Africa for fostering “real collaboration between G20 nations during a time of rapid change” during its rotating presidency, which transfers to the United States for 2026.
“The US Chamber of Commerce will use our B20 leadership to foster international collaboration,” Clark said.
The United States has significant business interests in South Africa, with more than 600 US companies operating in the country, according to the South African embassy in Washington.
G20 members account for 85 percent of global GDP and around two-thirds of the world’s population.
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