The US president has said he might skip the event due to South Africa’s “very bad policies”
South Africa has reiterated its stance that the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg in November will go ahead, with or without United States President Donald Trump.
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola emphasised that South Africa is committed to making the G20 summit a success, regardless of whether Trump attends or sends a representative.
Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday, he said: “We will proceed with the G20 with or without President Trump and with whoever he would have delegated to come to the G20.”
Trump had previously hinted that he might not attend the summit, citing “very bad policies” in South Africa.
Lamola, however, expressed uncertainty about Trump’s final decision, stating that the South African government is still awaiting confirmation. ”It is an unpredictable situation. We will hear the final word from the US as and when they decide. Whatever they decide, the G20 will proceed. We will work with all leaders that will be present to decide the outcome,” he said.
He also addressed the 30% tariff imposed by the US on South African exports, saying that the country is working to reduce the tariffs through diplomatic engagement.
“We have signed a non-disclosure agreement to continue engaging with the process of the tariff to reduce the 30% that has been imposed on SA,” he said.
He noted that the challenges related to tariffs are not unique to South Africa, with many countries, including India, Brazil, and Switzerland, facing similar issues. ”We have to continue to engage and put effort into diversifying our markets in the East and other countries that remain open to trade in South Africa,” he said.
Regarding the previous International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on Israel, Lamola emphasised the importance of upholding international law.
“It is crucial that we continue to protect the international rule of law… It may take some time, but there will be an implementation of the ICJ decision,” he said.
Lamola also commented on the US’s “fast-tracking” process for Afrikaner immigrants, dismissing claims that they are refugees.
“We don’t agree that this is a refugee program because there is no genocide in South Africa… We view this as a fast-tracking process of immigration by the US, and it is the right of any country to facilitate entry into their country,” he said.
As part of the G20 preparations, Lamola highlighted that negotiations for the working group ministerial meetings are underway, which will set the tone for the forthcoming discussions on the G20 Johannesburg Leaders’ Declaration.
Other scheduled key meetings still to be hosted, include the G20 Compact with Africa in early October, food security meeting taking place in Cairo in September and meeting on industrialisation and agriculture in Abuja in October 2025.
