Pretoria Says US Undermining G20

South Africa has accused the United States (US) of undermining the G20 summit in Johannesburg after Washington confirmed it would boycott the meeting and reject any final leaders' statement issued without its participation.

In a diplomatic note delivered last weekend, the US said none of its officials would attend the gathering, due to be held this weekend, and warned that it would not recognise any consensus document produced under South Africa’s presidency.

Pretoria responded sharply, with foreign ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri warning that Washington’s stance amounted to what he called coercion by absentia. He cautioned that allowing a member to block multilateral decisions simply by refusing to turn up risked paralysing the institution.

The boycott follows repeated criticism from US President Donald Trump, who has accused South Africa of discriminating against white Afrikaners, allegations the government has firmly rejected.

The US said South Africa’s summit priorities run counter to its policy, objecting to themes such as debt relief for low-income countries and expanded financing for a just energy transition.

Washington also criticised the decision to invite 22 additional nations to the meeting, arguing that the G20 has drifted too far from its original economic mandate. US officials have indicated they will accept only a limited chair’s statement.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said he may symbolically hand over the G20 chair to an empty seat when the US assumes the presidency next year, noting that the group’s work continues whether Washington attends or not. The dispute sets a tense backdrop for the first G20 summit to be hosted on African soil.