South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized the importance of multilateralism and international law in addressing global crises as he opened the G20 foreign ministers meeting in Johannesburg.
However, the meeting was marred by the absence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who boycotted the event citing “anti-Americanism” and prior commitments, respectively.
The strained relationship between South Africa and the US has been escalating since President Donald Trump took office.
Trump has accused South Africa of “unjust and immoral practices” against the white minority Afrikaner community and cut aid to the country.
Rubio echoed this sentiment, stating that South Africa was “doing very bad things” by promoting “solidarity, equality, & sustainability” through the G20.
Despite the US boycott, the meeting proceeded with foreign ministers from China, Russia, France, and the UK in attendance. South Africa, as the first African state to lead the G20, aims to advance the interests of developing nations in talks with the world’s richest states.
The country holds the G20 presidency until November 2025, when it will hand over the reins to the US.
