CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has labeled the United States’ decision to boycott the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg as “their loss.” The U.S. government’s absence from the November 22-23 meeting of global leaders was announced last week by President Donald Trump, who cited controversial and widely disputed claims about the persecution of South Africa’s white minority. Ramaphosa, speaking outside the South African Parliament on Wednesday, urged the U.S. to reconsider its stance, stating that boycott politics “doesn’t work” in his experience. He emphasized that the G20 summit would proceed as planned, with other heads of state in attendance, and that the U.S. absence would not hinder the event’s outcomes. Trump’s decision follows months of criticism directed at South Africa’s Black-led government, including its stance on Israel and allegations of anti-white racism. Ramaphosa also highlighted the U.S.’s role as the world’s largest economy, suggesting that its absence undermines its global influence. The G20, established in 1999, brings together major economies to address global economic and developmental challenges. The U.S. is set to assume the G20 presidency from South Africa at the end of the year. Trump’s claims about violence against Afrikaners have been echoed by conservative U.S. media figures and South African-born entrepreneur Elon Musk, who has accused the government of racism due to its affirmative action policies. Ramaphosa’s administration has dismissed these allegations as misinformation, while U.S.-South Africa relations have reached their lowest point since the end of apartheid in 1994.
Trump’s decision that the US boycott the G20 summit is ‘their loss,’ South African president says
