South Africa says President will not hand G20 to U.S. embassy official
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will not hand the next presidency of the G20 to a U.S. embassy representative after U.S. President Donald Trump refused to attend this weekend’s summit, the South African government said Saturday (November 22, 2025).
The Trump administration has boycotted the Johannesburg meeting that wraps up on Sunday and said it would send the chargé d’affaires of its U.S. embassy in South Africa for the handover, with Washington assuming the 2026 presidency of the group of leading economies.
Mr. Ramaphosa “will not be handing over to the charge d’affaires from the U.S.,” Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told journalists. “The United States is a member of the G20, and if they want to be represented, they can still send anyone at the right level,” he said.
South Africa says President will not hand G20 to U.S. embassy official
South Africa’s President Ramaphosa rejects handing G20 presidency to a U.S. embassy official amid Trump’s absence from the summit.
