The United States pressured France to invite the South African president to the G7 summit in the French city of Evian in June, the South African president told AFP on Thursday.
It is the latest episode after months of fractious relations over a range of issues, from South Africa's genocide case against US ally Israel to President Donald Trump's controversial claims that white Africans are being persecuted.
“We have learned that due to sustained pressure, France has had to withdraw its invitation to South Africa to attend the G7 meeting,” presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya told AFP.
“We have been told that the Americans have threatened to boycott the G7 if South Africa is invited,” he said.
“Therefore, South Africa will not participate in this G7 meeting,” he said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a measured tone, stressed that South Africa is not a member of the G7 and has not attended every summit.
“There are many countries around the world that are not invited to the G7,” he told reporters. He also said that when South Africa participates, “we go there with a message.”
“So if we don't go on this, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.”
Trump has repeatedly clashed with the South African government, imposing high tariffs on the country, denouncing Ramaphosa in the Oval Office over discredited claims of “white genocide” and boycotting the G20 summit in Johannesburg in November.
Trump last year imposed 30 percent tariffs on most South African exports – the highest for sub-Saharan Africa. The US Supreme Court has rejected Trump's tariff policy.
The US president has also criticized South Africa's racial justice policies, which were created to address historical inequalities left by the legacy of colonial rule and apartheid, but the US leader described as discriminatory against whites.
The Trump administration has also clashed with Ramaphosa's government over South Africa taking Israel to the International Court of Justice for allegedly committing genocide in its war in Gaza.
South Africa has been left out of the group's work since bypassing last year's G20 summit, for which Washington holds the rotating presidency this year.
Pretoria recalled that during the G20 in South Africa, French President Emmanuel Macron had personally invited Ramaphosa to participate in the G7.
The Group of Seven industrialized countries often extends its work to other invited countries such as Brazil, India and South Korea this year. This is how South Africa was invited to the G7 hosted by Canada in 2025.
“This will have no impact on the strength and close nature of our bilateral relations with France,” the presidential spokesperson said.
“Despite all these developments, South Africa remains committed to engaging constructively with the United States,” he said.
“Diplomatic relations between the United States and South Africa predate the Trump administration and will survive the current tenure of the White House.”
– New Ambassador to America –
Pretoria earlier this month summoned the new US ambassador to explain over “undiplomatic comments” about South African racial policies and court rulings.
In his first public address, Conservative MP Brent Bozell labeled the apartheid-era slogan “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer” as “hate speech” and criticized policies designed to disempower black South Africans.
Despite being controversial in South Africa, courts have ruled that it is not hate speech and should be considered in the context of the struggle against white-minority rule that ended in 1994.
The new ambassador later appeared to back down, saying the US government respects the independence and findings of the South African judiciary.
Washington expelled Pretoria's ambassador Ibrahim Rasool in March last year after he criticized Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
A replacement has not yet been named.
On Thursday, a presidential spokesman said Ramaphosa was “moving closer to the appointment of a South African ambassador to the US, who will be part of the team that is currently negotiating with US counterparts”.
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