South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the US decision to boycott the Nov 22–23 G20 summit in Johannesburg will not stop the meeting, calling the absence "their loss". South Africa, as current G20 chair, plans to use the summit to advance Global South priorities such as climate resilience and debt relief. The boycott follows escalating tensions between Pretoria and Washington over disputed claims about violence against Afrikaners, an ICJ case involving Israel, and domestic empowerment laws.
Ramaphosa: US Boycott of Johannesburg G20 Is 'Their Loss' — Summit to Push Global South Agenda
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the US decision to boycott the Nov 22–23 G20 summit in Johannesburg will not stop the meeting, calling the absence "their loss". South Africa, as current G20 chair, plans to use the summit to advance Global South priorities such as climate resilience and debt relief. The boycott follows escalating tensions between Pretoria and Washington over disputed claims about violence against Afrikaners, an ICJ case involving Israel, and domestic empowerment laws.
05:42 PM, 11/12/2025Politics
Ramaphosa says US absence from G20 will not derail summit
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday that the United States' decision to boycott the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg on November 22–23 will not prevent the meeting of world leaders from going ahead or weaken the group's ability to take meaningful decisions.
"We will take fundamental decisions and their absence is their loss," Ramaphosa told reporters in Cape Town. "In many ways, the United States is also giving up the very important role that they should be playing as the biggest economy in the world."
The Johannesburg summit will be the first time the G20 convenes on African soil. As the current G20 chair, South Africa intends to use its presidency to spotlight Global South priorities — including boosting climate resilience, tackling debt burdens in developing countries and promoting sustainable, inclusive growth — before handing the presidency to the United States next year.
The US administration has publicly criticised South Africa's summit theme, "Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability," calling it "anti-American." Ramaphosa responded that a boycott "never achieves anything of great impact," adding that important decisions — such as potential measures related to the cost of debt for developing nations — will move forward in any case.
Background to rising tensions
The boycott caps a period of heightened diplomatic friction between Pretoria and Washington under President Donald Trump. Trump has repeatedly levelled harsh and widely disputed accusations about violence against white Afrikaners in South Africa. Earlier this year he showed President Ramaphosa a video in the Oval Office alleging a government campaign targeting white farmers; South Africa rejects any such claim.
In May, the Trump administration offered refugee status to some Afrikaners, and a first group of about 50 people were flown to the United States on a chartered plane. Washington has also criticised Pretoria over its decision to pursue a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) related to Israel, and over South African laws intended to empower black citizens as part of efforts to address inequalities inherited from apartheid.
About the G20: Founded in 1999, the Group of 20 comprises 19 countries and two regional bodies — the European Union and the African Union — and represents roughly 85% of global GDP and about two-thirds of the world’s population.
Reporting by South African officials; background on US–South Africa tensions based on public statements and diplomatic developments.