First meeting of G20 Sherpas under US presidency to get underway without SA

The first meeting of Sherpas of the Group of 20 under the United States (US)’s presidency is set to get underway in Washington on Monday without South Africa.

In a diplomatic note sent by Pretoria to members states and published by the Daily Maverick, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation has asked for South Africa’s exclusion to be placed on the agenda of the two-day meeting for discussion and clarification.

The department said it was officially informed by the US on 4 December that it is not welcome to participate in any G20 events in the US in 2026.

After boycotting much of South Africa’s G20 programme in 2025, including the Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg in November, the US is now freezing South Africa out of its G20 events.

Traditionally, the former, present and incoming hosts form the troika of countries who work together on the G20 agenda.

But Pretoria said it’s been informed by the US that it will forego this format for its G20 presidency.

Furthermore, South Africa is not invited to the meetings of Sherpas, working groups and ministers, as well as the 2026 Leaders’Summit in Miami.

South Africa has now asked its G20 allies to point out to the US that its chosen absence from 2026’s G20 must be differentiated from being deliberately excluded by a G20 host.

“Furthermore, we are concerned by the precedent that will be set by the exclusion of South Africa from the G20 presidency of the United States of America in 2026,” reads the note verbale.

The United Kingdom (UK) is set to take over the presidency from the US in 2027.