South Africa to Temporarily Withdraw from G20 After U.S. Excludes Pretoria from Invitations
CAPE TOWN – South Africa announced on Wednesday that it will temporarily withdraw from all G20 activities, following confirmation from the United States, the group’s current rotating president, that Pretoria would not be invited to participate.
The diplomatic exclusion stems from repeated accusations by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has alleged that the South African government engages in discrimination against the country’s white Afrikaner minority. In response to the snub, the South African government stated it will sit out the G20 meetings scheduled for 2026 and intends to return when the presidency passes to the United Kingdom in 2027.
“While we remain committed to the multilateral principles of the G20, we cannot participate under a host that chooses to level unfounded accusations and exclude a founding member,” a senior South African official stated. “We will resume our active role under the 2027 presidency.”
South Africa, the only African member of the forum, has been a founding member of the G20 since its inception, representing the continent’s interests among the world’s largest economies. Its absence will leave a significant regional voice out of critical discussions on global economic governance, finance, and climate policy.
The U.S. State Department, under Secretary Rubio, has intensified its criticism of South Africa’s domestic social policies in recent months, framing the exclusion as a stance against perceived discriminatory practices. The South African government has consistently rejected these allegations as baseless and a distortion of its post-apartheid nation-building efforts.
Analysts suggest the move signals a potential chill in U.S.-South Africa relations and introduces a new political dimension to the traditionally economics-focused G20. The temporary withdrawal underscores how geopolitical tensions can spill over into multilateral forums, potentially fragmenting coordinated global responses to shared challenges.
The G20, which brings together the world’s major economies, will proceed with its 2026 agenda without one of its original members, raising questions about the inclusivity and future cohesion of the bloc as it navigates an increasingly divided international landscape.
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