South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa (centre) speaks alongside Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) and Chairperson of the African Union Joao Lourenco (right) during the G20 Leaders' Summit plenary session at the Nasrec Expo Centre, in Johannesburg on November 22, 2025.
Image: AFP
The diplomatic rift between Pretoria and Washington is growing as South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana confirmed that he and other top officials, including South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago, will not be attending the upcoming G20 finance summit in Washington.
Speaking from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport during his travels to attend the Spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, Godongwana expressed his disappointment at South Africa’s exclusion from the G20 discussions.
“We are members of the G20,” he emphasised. “However, the US has not accredited us, which means that South Africa will not be part of the G20 for the whole of this year.”
President Trump claims White farmers in South Africa are victims of a genocide. These widely discredited allegations have been denied by South Africa.
When South Africa hosted the G20 summit last year, the US boycotted the event based on the unfounded claims.
The G20 summit, comprising the world's major economies, is an influential platform that addresses pressing issues ranging from economic stability to climate change.
South Africa's presidency, which focused on inclusive dialogue and sustainable development, set a constructive tone for the discussions, but the American leadership is set to introduce new priorities that may shift the agenda once again.