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South Africa excluded from 2026 G20 under US presidency
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Diplomatic tensions with Washington deepen after public disputes
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Absence threatens to undermine Africa's recent gains within the G20
South Africa will not attend the 2026 G20 summit under the US presidency in Miami, confirming a diplomatic rift that has been building for more than a year. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana told Bloomberg on April 12 that neither he nor central bank Governor Lesatja Kganyago had been accredited to the upcoming G20 finance meetings in Washington.
The move formalizes the boycott of South Africa and adds tension to already strained relations between the two trading partners.
Tensions escalated in early 2025 when US President Donald Trump accused Pretoria of pursuing a “genocidal” policy against white Africans and expropriating land without compensation – claims South Africa strongly rejects. The situation worsened during the Johannesburg G20 summit in November 2025, which was held for the first time on African soil.
For South Africa, that summit was a key diplomatic moment, providing a platform to push African priorities—debt, climate and infrastructure—onto the global agenda. However, the United States boycotted the meeting and did not send any official delegation.
Disagreements also emerged over how the G20 presidency was handed over. Washington claimed that Pretoria refused to formally transfer leadership to the US representative during the closing ceremony. South Africa rejected the allegation, saying the transfer took place in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Within the government, officials are now focusing on the next UK-led summit in 2027. “We have taken the view that we have a G20 holiday this year,” Godongwana said. “We are starting with the UK presidency in November.”
Still, the absence could undermine the momentum South Africa built in Johannesburg, where it helped secure a declaration consistent with many African priorities and strengthened the African Union's position within the G20.
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