South Africa to transfer G20 presidency to US ‘at appropriate level’
Tensions between the two nations arose after US President Donald Trump opted not to attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg on Nov. 22-23. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had earlier suggested there might be a “change of mind” from the US side, a claim quickly denied by the White House.
Despite the absence of US officials, the summit began Saturday, even though the United States is South Africa’s successor in the G20 presidency, which traditionally includes a formal handover ceremony.
On the sidelines of the summit, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola explained that the US intends to conduct the handover via the charge d’affaires of its embassy in Pretoria. He emphasized that the handover should ideally occur at the head-of-state level or by a minister “properly designated by the president of the United States of America.”
Lamola said, “So now that they have assigned a charge, we’ve said DIRCO has equivalent officials of the charge, hence … we will do the handover… at DIRCO offices anytime from Monday.” He added that the arrangement “cannot in any way strain relations,” noting that South Africa will ensure the handover is carried out with proper respect and equivalence.
He clarified, “The only thing we said is that our president cannot hand over to a charge (d'affaires) in the leaders’ summit attended by so many heads of state.”
Earlier this month, Trump announced he would not send a US official to Johannesburg, citing alleged “human rights abuses” against the white Afrikaner population — accusations repeatedly dismissed by the South African government as baseless.
Relations between Washington and Pretoria have reportedly hit their lowest point in years, affected by disagreements over both foreign and domestic policies.
The G20, established in 1999, consists of 19 countries plus two regional organizations: the European Union and the African Union.
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