DIRCO: SA still joining next G20 in US after Washington snubs Johannesburg summit

South Africa will participate in next year’s G20 Leaders’ Summit in the US, despite diplomatic tension triggered by Washington’s boycott of the gathering in Johannesburg.

Director-General of International Relations, Zane Dangor, confirmed on Saturday that Pretoria’s commitment to the bloc remained unchanged as the US prepared to assume the rotating G20 presidency from South Africa.

“We are a member of the G20; we attend G20 meetings, and at this stage, we don’t have any reason to believe that this would change,” Dangor said on the sidelines of the summit at Nasrec.

Dangor also clarified that South Africa will not attend the first meetings of the incoming U.S. presidency cycle, which begin next week.

The assurances came during South Africa’s historic hosting of the G20 Leaders’ Summit on November 22 to 23.

Washington’s no-show followed President Donald Trump’s declaration that no American official would participate, citing baseless claims that South Africa has been committing “genocide” against Afrikaners and offering them refugee status earlier this year.

Despite Trump’s remarks, President Cyril Ramaphosa had expressed hope as late as Thursday evening that dialogue might persuade Washington to attend.

Speaking during the South Africa–European Union Trilateral Leaders’ Meeting, Ramaphosa said engagements were ongoing and that he expected the US position could shift.

Instead, DIRCO formally marked the United States as absent.

Minister Ronald Lamola reinforced Pretoria’s stance on protocol, stating that South Africa will not hand over the G20 presidency to a junior American delegate.

“It should at least be a senior official,” he said.The handover is scheduled to take place next week at DIRCO headquarters in Pretoria, not at the summit venue.

IOL understood the US attempted to reapply for accreditation after withdrawing its delegation, but the deadline had already passed, sealing its absence from the landmark event.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

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