G20 Summit Advances Smoothly as South Africa Rejects US Delegation Plan

South African diplomats confirmed on Saturday that Pretoria has taken a firm stance on attendance at Sunday’s handover ceremony, during which South Africa was supposed to pass the G20 chairmanship to the United States.

According to senior officials, the South African government informed Washington that the US would not be welcome to send a junior-level delegation to represent the country at the ceremony. The US had proposed sending the head of its embassy in Pretoria to represent Washington at the handover after President Trump had announced a broader US boycott of the summit. The South African government saw that as a deliberate insult and an attempt to juniorise the G20 meeting.

The US remains the incoming chair of the G20 with significant influence over the forum’s priorities in 2026.

Beyond the US/South Africa diplomatic tiff, delegates say the Johannesburg summit has been well organised and marked by smooth proceedings.