SA-US diplomatic tension continues on eve of G20 Leaders’ Summit

Diplomatic tensions between South Africa and the United States continue to unfold on the eve of the G20 Leaders’ Summit.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Thursday that the US would send a delegation to the summit, but the White House quickly contradicted this claim.

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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticised Ramaphosa for 'running his mouth', clarifying that, while a US embassy representative would attend the handover ceremony as a formality, they would not be participating in official G20 talks. 

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya insisted that Ramaphosa will not hand over the G20 presidency to a chargé d’affaires.

Speaking to Lester Kiewit, Sanusha Naidu, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Dialogue, explains that, while the relationship between South Africa and the Trump administration is fraught, there are highly productive and friendly business, cultural, and academic engagements.

“What happened at the B20, delegations coming from the US from a business and economic perspective, the tensions are not there. Those are the important dynamics that we need to desegregate."

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Naidu suggests that Trump’s stance reflects his general dislike for multilateralism.

It represents a broader American desire to dictate the terms of international engagement rather than participate as an equal partner.

To listen to Naidu in conversation with CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit, click below: