Ramaphosa: Trump’s G20 Boycott Is “Their Loss” — Johannesburg Summit Will Go On

Ramaphosa: US boycott of G20 is “their loss”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday that the United States' decision to send no officials to next weekend's Group of 20 (G20) leaders' summit in Johannesburg is “their loss,” and that the summit will proceed and make substantive decisions with other world leaders in attendance.

Ramaphosa’s comments follow a sharp diplomatic rift after President Donald Trump publicly criticised South Africa, repeating disputed claims that white farmers are being persecuted — a charge South African government officials and major Afrikaner leaders reject — and objecting to Pretoria’s pursuit of a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

“The United States needs to think again whether boycott politics actually works because in my experience it doesn’t work,” Ramaphosa told reporters outside Parliament. He added: “The United States by not being at the G20… we will take fundamental decisions and their absence is their loss.”

Trump announced on Friday that no U.S. officials would attend the G20 summit on 22-23 November, calling it a "total disgrace" that the meeting would be held in South Africa and citing his allegation — which independent observers and South African authorities say is unfounded — that white farmers face a racially motivated campaign of violence and land seizure.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly raised the issue of alleged anti-white violence in South Africa and criticised the South African government for initiating a genocide case at the ICJ over Israel’s actions in Gaza. South Africa filed its case in 2023 and submitted roughly 500 pages of evidence to the court in October 2024. Israel’s written counterarguments are due by 12 January, with oral hearings expected in 2027 and a final judgment anticipated in late 2027 or early 2028.

The ICJ has already issued three provisional measures in the case, ordering Israel to prevent acts that could amount to genocide and to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Observers and South African officials say Israel has largely failed to comply with those measures.

Ramaphosa stressed that a temporary ceasefire in Gaza would not halt South Africa’s legal pursuit at the ICJ, and reiterated Pretoria’s determination to press its case despite diplomatic pressure.

Context and diplomatic fallout

The G20, formed in 1999 to coordinate economic policy among major developed and emerging economies, will convene leaders from 19 countries plus the European Union and the African Union. Members include the U.S., China, Russia, India, Japan, France, Germany and the UK. South Africa is hosting the G20 for the first time on African soil; the U.S. is due to take the G20 rotating presidency from South Africa at year-end.

The bilateral row has widened in recent months. When Ramaphosa visited the White House in May, Trump raised his allegations about attacks on Afrikaners; Ramaphosa used the meeting to urge Trump to attend the Johannesburg summit. Earlier this year, Washington expelled South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S. after the ambassador made critical remarks about Trump.

South African officials characterise the allegations about state-sponsored or racially targeted persecution of white citizens as misinformation and misunderstanding of the country’s affirmative action policies, which are intended to redress the lasting inequalities of apartheid. The dispute has strained relations between the U.S. and its largest trading partner in Africa to their lowest point since the end of apartheid in 1994.

Key facts

• G20 summit: 22–23 November, Johannesburg.
• South Africa submitted ~500 pages of evidence to the ICJ in October 2024; Israel’s counterarguments due 12 January.
• Oral hearings at the ICJ are expected in 2027; a final ruling is anticipated in late 2027 or early 2028.
• The ICJ has issued provisional measures ordering Israel to prevent genocidal acts and permit humanitarian aid; compliance has been limited.

Ramaphosa concluded that the G20 will continue with other leaders present and that Washington’s absence represents a lost opportunity for the U.S. to influence global decision-making at the summit.