South Africa will sit out the 2026 G20 meetings after a US ban, vowing to return under the UK presidency while defending multilateralism.
JOHANNESBURG: South Africa has announced it will not participate in the G20 meetings during the United States’ presidency next year.
The decision comes after the US confirmed it would not invite South Africa to the 2026 series, repeating complaints about the country’s domestic policies.
Presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said South Africa would “take a commercial break” until the G20 presidency passes to Britain.
“We will resume normal programming,” Magwenya stated on social media.
South Africa does not expect other G20 nations to boycott the US presidency or lobby for its inclusion.
Magwenya told the Sunday Times it would be unhelpful if “the entire year goes to waste and the G20 is collapsed”.
However, he said South Africa would expect other members to “register their displeasure with the US in defence of multilateralism”.
The US largely boycotted South Africa’s own G20 tenure, including the November summit in Johannesburg.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeated unfounded claims that Pretoria deliberately discriminates against the white Afrikaner minority.
The Trump administration has expelled South Africa’s ambassador and imposed 30% trade tariffs.
Pretoria is still seeking to overturn those tariffs.
The G20 accounts for 85% of the world’s GDP and two-thirds of its population.
The Johannesburg summit was the first held in Africa and was attended by many world leaders.
US President Donald Trump boycotted that gathering.
