South Africa said Thursday it was prepared to wait out next year’s G20 after being barred by the United States and did not expect other countries to lobby for its inclusion.
The United States this month took over the year-long presidency of the group of leading economies after largely boycotting South Africa’s tenure, including the November summit, in an escalation of its attacks on Pretoria.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeated Wednesday that South Africa would not be invited to the US-run G20, repeating complaints including unfounded claims that the government deliberately discriminated against the white Afrikaner minority.
Presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said in response that South Africa would sit out the 2026 series of meetings and resume participation when the G20 is handed to Britain in a year’s time.
“For now, we will take a commercial break until we resume normal programming,” Magwenya said on social media.
The G20 group of nations includes the world’s top economies as well as the European Union and the African Union regional blocs. It accounts for 85 percent of the world’s GDP and two-thirds of its population.
The Johannesburg summit, the first in Africa, was attended by a host of world leaders, including from countries not in the G20, but boycotted by US President Donald Trump.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesman said South Africa did not expect other G20 nations to boycott the US presidency or lobby for its inclusion.
“In fact it would be unhelpful if the entire year goes to waste and the G20 is collapsed,” Magwenya said in an interview with the Sunday Times newspaper published late Wednesday.
South Africa would however expect that other members “register their displeasure with the US in defence of multilateralism and the spirit and purpose of the G20,” he said.
The Trump administration has lashed out at South Africa over a range of policies, expelling its ambassador in March and imposing 30 percent trade tariffs, which Pretoria is still seeking to overturn.
