Ofure Akhigbe
South Africa has announced it will temporarily withdraw from the Group of 20 (G20) meetings in 2026 after being barred by the United States, which assumed the rotating presidency of the bloc this month.
The decision was confirmed on Thursday by Presidential Spokesman Vincent Magwenya following renewed confirmation by US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on Wednesday that South Africa would not be invited to the US-hosted G20 meetings.
Rubio cited complaints against Pretoria, including allegations that the South African government deliberately discriminates against the white Afrikaner minority—claims South Africa has dismissed as unfounded.
In response, Magwenya said the country would suspend its participation for the duration of the US presidency and return when Britain takes over leadership of the G20 in 2027.
“For now, we will take a commercial break until we resume normal programming,” Magwenya said in a post on social media.
The United States assumed the year-long G20 presidency earlier this month after largely boycotting South Africa’s tenure, including the November 2025 Johannesburg summit. Analysts described the actions as an escalation of diplomatic tensions between Washington and Pretoria.
The Johannesburg summit, the first G20 meeting hosted on African soil, was attended by several world leaders, including from non-member countries. However, US President Donald Trump did not attend.
The G20 comprises the world’s largest economies alongside the European Union and the African Union. Collectively, the bloc accounts for about 85 per cent of global GDP and roughly two-thirds of the world’s population.
Magwenya said South Africa did not expect other G20 members to boycott the US presidency or lobby for its readmission during the period of exclusion.
“In fact, it would be unhelpful if the entire year goes to waste and the G20 is collapsed,” he told the Sunday Times in an interview published late Wednesday.
However, he added that South Africa expects other member states “to register their displeasure with the US in defence of multilateralism and the spirit and purpose of the G20.”
Relations between both countries have deteriorated in recent months. In March 2026, the Trump administration expelled South Africa’s ambassador and imposed 30 per cent trade tariffs on selected South African exports—measures Pretoria is still seeking to overturn.