President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Friday that South Africa will symbolically hand over the G20 presidency to an “empty chair” at next week’s summit, following the decision by the United States to skip the event. Ramaphosa also emphasized the importance of maintaining and repairing trade relations with Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump recently declared that no U.S. officials would attend the Group of 20 summit on November 22-23, citing alleged human rights abuses against white South Africans claims widely debunked by experts. Trump has also stated that this year’s U.S. refugee admissions would prioritize Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch settlers who comprise the majority of South Africa’s white population.
Responding to reporters in Soweto, where he was overseeing summit preparations, Ramaphosa said: “I have said in the past, I don’t want to hand over to an empty chair, but the empty chair will be there. I will probably symbolically hand over to that empty chair and then speak with President Trump.”
South African officials have expressed growing frustration with Trump’s assertions, rejecting claims of ethnic discrimination against Afrikaners in the Black-majority nation.
Ramaphosa stressed that sustaining economic ties with the United States, one of South Africa’s largest trading partners, remains a priority. “We export products to that country that ultimately reach American consumers, not the White House. While there could be a view that we should not engage with the U.S., sometimes dialogue is necessary, even with those who may not be very friendly, to advance the interests of our people,” he said.
