JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 7 — The United States and South Africa have been trading barbs, especially after President Donald Trump announced in November that Washington would not send a delegation to the Group of 20 (G20) summit held in Johannesburg, publicly boycotting the host nation.
Tensions further escalated as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola issued pointed open letters on Wednesday and Thursday, highlighting the deepening diplomatic rift.
NEW ROUND OF WAR OF WORDS The latest round of rhetorical clashes began when Washington openly boycotted the G20 summit hosted by South Africa.
On Nov. 7, Trump wrote on social media that U.S. officials would not attend the summit in Johannesburg and again accused the South African government of discriminating against the white minority. In response, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the U.S. absence was “their loss” and that a boycott would only backfire.
In the days before the summit, the United States formally notified Pretoria that it would not take part and opposed issuing any G20 outcome document based on consensus without Washington’s consent.
South Africa countered that the U.S. boycott had cost Washington its voice at the meeting and that Pretoria would not bow to American pressure.
The G20 summit opened in Johannesburg on Nov. 22 as scheduled and, for the first time, adopted a joint declaration on the opening day.
Because the United States insisted on sending only its charge d’affaires to the handover ceremony for the rotating presidency, South African officials called Washington’s failure to send a representative of the appropriate rank “unacceptable” and refused to hold the handover at the summit venue.
The handover was instead held in a low-key manner on Nov. 25. The next day, Trump said South Africa would not be invited to next year’s G20 summit in Miami.
Pretoria called the decision “regrettable” and said it was based on false information about South Africa. On Dec. 3, Rubio issued a statement again attacking South Africa’s domestic policies and its leadership of the G20, and threatened to replace South Africa with Poland in the grouping.
Ramaphosa said on Dec. 4 that although media reports claimed South Africa had been excluded from the Miami summit, Pretoria had received no formal written notice.
“We are yet to receive anything formally, and we will deal with that when it comes,” he said, adding that South Africa would not try to rally other countries to boycott the U.S.-hosted summit next year.
DETERIORATION OF RELATIONS Since Trump began his second term this year, relations between the United States and South Africa have deteriorated rapidly.
Analysts note that South Africa’s positions on major international issues have diverged from Washington’s, including Pretoria’s 2023 case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and its close ties with Iran.
In February, Trump denounced South Africa’s new land law, accusing the government of seizing land in a way that discriminated against white citizens, and issued an executive order cutting off U.S. aid.
He later expelled South Africa’s ambassador to the United States after the envoy publicly criticized him. On May 21, during Ramaphosa’s visit to the White House, Trump suddenly showed videos and newspaper clippings alleging a “white genocide” in South Africa.
Ramaphosa rejected the claims, saying the assertion that white South Africans were fleeing violence and racist laws was unfounded.
In August, the U.S. State Department’s 2024 human rights report said South Africa’s human rights situation had “significantly worsened,” arguing that the new land law marked a “worrying step” toward expropriating white-owned land and further harming minority rights.
South African officials dismissed the accusations as baseless and inaccurate. Beginning Aug. 7, the United States imposed a 30 percent tariff on South African exports, making South Africa the sub-Saharan African country facing the highest U.S. tariff rate.
WILL RELATIONS WORSEN FURTHER Looking ahead, South Africa may be largely absent from major G20 activities during the U.S. presidency.
In the near term, relations between the two governments are likely to feature both political confrontation and limited cooperation in specific areas.
Washington’s hostile posture toward the South African government is unlikely to change soon, and further political bullying or economic coercion cannot be ruled out.
Pretoria is expected to continue relying on Global South forums and BRICS to counter U.S. pressure. The two countries are unlikely to restore ambassador-level relations in the short term.
At the same time, the two sides share interests in areas such as HIV/AIDS prevention, counterterrorism intelligence, combating transnational crime and developing mineral resources.
Cooperation in these fields can help prevent ties from spiraling out of control.
Both countries also have incentives to continue working together on global agendas such as food security, climate change and public health, making a complete “decoupling” unlikely.
Next year’s U.S. midterm elections and South Africa’s local elections may also influence policy adjustments.
The Trump administration may ease tariffs on South African agricultural and automotive products to win support from U.S. voters, while maintaining a manageable relationship with Washington remains essential for stability within South Africa’s governing coalition.
Relations between the two countries are likely to worsen to some degree, with political confrontation forming the core of the relationship.
Even so, cooperation in certain areas will continue to cushion the impact. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
