Pretoria Draws a Line: South Africa Rejects G20 Boycotts and Backs Unity Despite US Snub

Pretoria Draws a Line on G20 Unity

South Africa has made its position clear: it will show up for the next G20 summit in the United States and it has no interest in tit-for-tat boycotts, even after Washington snubbed last month’s G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg.

Speaking to journalists on Monday, presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Pretoria remains committed to the spirit of engagement that underpins the G20, warning that unilateral walkouts threaten the bloc’s very foundation.

South Africa, he stressed, will not mirror the US decision to stay away from Johannesburg, nor will it encourage other countries to do so.

“We Are Against Any Boycott”

Magwenya said Pretoria has actively urged G20 members to stay engaged, regardless of political disagreements.

South Africa’s priority, he explained, is to keep the issues debated in Johannesburg, including poverty reduction, climate action and fair development, firmly on the global agenda.

The message from government is simple: global economic cooperation cannot hinge on the approval of any single country.

Tensions After US Skips Johannesburg

The diplomatic strain follows the US decision not to attend the Johannesburg summit. President Donald Trump not only boycotted the meeting but declined to send any representative, citing disagreements over agenda priorities and repeating discredited claims about South Africa.

Trump later announced that South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 G20 Summit in Miami, a move that drew sharp reactions from multilateral observers, who viewed it as a break from the consensus-driven traditions of the G20.

Online, South Africans were quick to weigh in. Some praised Pretoria for “taking the high road”, while others expressed concern about the growing politicisation of global forums meant to foster cooperation rather than division.

A Founding Member Pushes Back

Magwenya reminded critics that South Africa is a founding member of the G20, and said exclusionary tactics must be challenged by all member states.

According to him, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has been engaging other G20 countries, encouraging them to voice opposition to unilateral decisions that undermine multilateralism. Several members, he said, have privately expressed support for South Africa’s stance.

The Johannesburg summit, he added, marked an important moment for Africa’s role in global economic governance  and exposed long-standing tensions around who sets the agenda and whose priorities matter.

Ramaphosa: “We Will Be There”

President Cyril Ramaphosa reinforced the message in his closing remarks, confirming that South Africa will attend the upcoming summit in the US.

For Pretoria, the issue goes beyond diplomatic disagreements. It is about defending the idea that global challenges from inequality to climate change, require collective solutions.

In a world increasingly shaped by unilateral decisions, South Africa is betting that showing up, rather than walking away, is the stronger statement.

{Source: IOL}

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