South Africa said it will press ahead with adopting a joint declaration at this weekend’s G-20 summit in Johannesburg, dismissing U.S. demands to scrap the traditional leaders’ statement and declaring that it “will not be bullied” by Washington, as the president claimed Washington might participate in the summit, which was rejected by the White House.
Cyril Ramaphosa was speaking at a joint news conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.
"We have received notice from the United States, a notice which we are still in discussions with them over, about a change of mind, about participating in one shape or form or other in the summit," he said.
"This comes in the days before the summit. And so therefore we need to engage in those types of discussions to see how practical it is and what it finally really means."
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration had said it would not attend the first G-20 summit in Africa, alleging that the host country, previously ruled by its white minority apartheid system until 1994, discriminates against white people.
On Thursday, a White House official said an envoy would attend a ceremony for the official handover of the G-20 presidency from South Africa to the U.S. But there was no question of Washington participating.
"This is fake news. The chargé d'affaires in Pretoria will attend the handover ceremony as a formality, but the United States is not joining G-20 discussions," they added.
Ramaphosa delivered one of his strongest public rebukes of the United States on Thursday after the Trump administration confirmed it will boycott the summit, citing what it claims are anti-white policies by South Africa’s government and objections to Pretoria’s G-20 agenda.
Speaking at a curtain-raiser event and later to reporters, Ramaphosa said South Africa would not allow powerful nations to dictate decisions at the first G-20 summit ever held on African soil.
“It cannot be that a country’s geographical location or income or army determines who has a voice and who is spoken down to,” Ramaphosa said. “There should be no bullying of one nation by another. We will not be told by anyone who is absent that we cannot adopt a declaration or make decisions at the summit.”
U.S. diplomats notified Pretoria that Washington “opposes issuance of any G-20 summit outcome document” unless the U.S. is part of a consensus. The Trump administration asked South Africa to issue only a toned-down, host-country statement instead of the traditional joint communique.
Ramaphosa rejected the demand, saying the summit’s negotiations were “moving forward extremely well” despite Washington’s boycott. “We will have a declaration,” he said. “We will not be bullied.”
Trump has repeatedly targeted South Africa since returning to office, accusing Ramaphosa’s government of persecuting the Afrikaner white minority – claims widely dismissed as baseless. He expelled South Africa’s ambassador in March and imposed 30% trade tariffs, the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.
Washington has also clashed with Pretoria over its G-20 agenda, which focuses on debt relief for developing nations, disaster resilience, a just energy transition and harnessing critical minerals for sustainable growth. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier skipped a G-20 ministers’ meeting, saying he would not spend taxpayer money on South Africa’s priorities, which he characterized as centered on diversity, equity, inclusion and climate.
Other world leaders who will not attend include China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Argentina’s Javier Milei, though all three are sending delegations. The U.S., however, is the only G-20 member entirely absent from the summit.
Xolisa Mabhongo, South Africa’s ambassador to the G-20, said Washington had warned that “there should be no declaration adopted” in its absence. Pretoria rejected the message, calling the U.S. boycott self-isolating.
South Africa chose “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability” as the theme of its presidency. G-20 members account for 85% of global GDP and around two-thirds of the world’s population.
Ramaphosa told civil society groups and business leaders that South Africa and the broader Global South want equal footing at global forums. “We need to be sitting at the table as equals... without any bullying,” he said, noting that many developing countries were historically excluded from global decision-making.
U.S. business leaders, however, showed up in force at the parallel Business 20 meetings. Suzanne Clark, head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, thanked South Africa for fostering “real collaboration” during a time of global uncertainty and said the chamber would work to strengthen cooperation when the U.S. assumes the G-20 presidency in 2026.
More than 600 U.S. companies operate in South Africa, according to Pretoria’s embassy in Washington.
Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Pretoria will adopt a declaration regardless of Washington’s objections. “We will not be told by anyone who is absent that we cannot adopt a declaration,” he said.
Despite the diplomatic clash, Ramaphosa said he intends to speak with Trump after the summit, which caps more than 120 meetings held under South Africa’s presidency.
“The only country that is not in the room is the United States,” Ambassador Mabhongo said. “And that is their choice.”
