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'US can send anyone at right level': South Africa refuses to hand over G20 presidency to 'junior' official
South Africa clarified that the handover would take place later, possibly at its foreign ministry building.
The G20 summit appeared to end on Sunday with a diplomatic spat involving the United States after the host country, South Africa, declined to pass on the rotating presidency to what it considered a ‘junior’ US representative. Notably, the US had boycotted the two-day summit, but it is due to take over as G20 president for 2026.
The controversy revolves around US President Donald Trump’s boycott of the summit over claims that South Africa is pursuing ‘racist and anti-White’ policies while ‘persecuting’ its Afrikaner White minority. South Africa believed that the US’ intention to send only a diplomatic official from its embassy to the summit was an insult to its president, Cyril Ramaphosa.
South Africa’s foreign minister Ronald Lamola said, “The United States is a member of the G20, and if they want to be represented, they can still send anyone at the right level.”
He added, “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.”
However, it clarified that the handover would take place later, possibly at its foreign ministry building.
US-South Africa diplomatic rift
Diplomatic tensions between the United States and South Africa escalated this week after Ramaphosa said that the United States had reversed its decision and was now seeking to join the summit at the last moment.
The White House rejected that claim and said the US officials would attend only the formal handover.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Ramaphosa was “running his mouth a little bit against the United States and the president of the United States.”
South Africa also broke the usual practice at the first Group of Twenty summit held in Africa by releasing a leaders' declaration on the opening day of the talks on Saturday. Declarations are normally issued when the summit ends.
The declaration was released despite objections from the United States, which has criticised a South African plan for the group that focuses mostly on climate change and global wealth inequality.
