President Cyril Ramaphosa has rejected calls to mobilise other G20 countries to boycott next year’s Leaders’ Summit in the United States, after Washington confirmed it has excluded South Africa from the first preparatory Sherpas meeting of its 2026 presidency.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Cosatu Charity Golf Challenge at Johannesburg Country Club on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said South Africa would not pressure fellow members to take sides.
“We will not mobilise countries; we’re not wired like that as South Africa. Every country must take its own decisions,” the president said.
“We don’t have enemies, we just have friends. All we want is to be treated as an equal sovereign country that respects others and wishes no nation ill.”
The remarks follow the United States’ decision to send invitations for the 15–16 December Sherpas meeting in Washington to every G20 member except South Africa. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has described the move as a breach of G20 protocol.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused South Africa of human-rights abuses and “genocide” against white farmers – claims widely debunked by fact-checkers and South African authorities. Last week Trump announced that Pretoria would not be invited to the 2026 Leaders’ Summit, scheduled for his Doral golf resort in Miami.
Ramaphosa said South Africa is still awaiting formal written notification of any exclusion.
“We have not seen anything in writing yet. We’ve just heard media publications. We are a fully fledged member of the G20 and we ran a very successful presidency that was applauded by most countries,” he said.
The president added that he was not losing sleep over Trump’s statements or conduct.
“We will always treat every country and every leader with due regard, respect and great consideration. That is who we are.”
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya earlier described the US stance as a “commercial break” in relations, saying South Africa would re-engage meaningfully when the United Kingdom assumes the G20 presidency in 2027.
South Africa formally handed over the G20 presidency to the United States on 1 December after hosting a widely praised summit in Johannesburg last month, which Trump boycotted.
