South Africa – US: Intensifying Feud

The Donald Trump administration is intensifying its diplomatic feud with South Africa, inviting Poland to the 2026 G20 summit in Miami and excluding South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa's government handed over the G20 presidency to the US in November. With stronger language on Africa's green energy transition, debt restructuring and climate change, the Leaders’ Declaration adopted at the Johannesburg summit on November 22nd was seen as a diplomatic success for Ramaphosa, much to the chagrin of Washington, which had insisted that a formal declaration could not be issued. Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz remonstrated with Trump over what most G20 members regard as a breach of the organisation's protocols. South Africa is adopting a conciliatory tone, with Ramaphosa's officials saying South Africa is prepared to step back from the G20 for a year until the United Kingdom takes over the presidency in a year's time. The US signalled that its G20 presidency will focus on removing regulatory burdens, unlocking affordable and secure energy supply chains, and pioneering new technologies and innovation. On December 3rd, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Ramaphosa's G20 presidency as “an exercise in spite, division, and radical agendas that have nothing to do with economic growth”. Rubio claimed that South Africa had shut out US officials from negotiations and “fundamentally tarnished the G20's reputation”. (Africa Confidential 8/12) See Economic Series p. 25373B