Ramaphosa urged to keep on talking to Trump despite G20 snub

Outgoing G20 president Cyril Ramaphosa must continue engaging with US President Donald Trump despite Trump’s boycott of the G20 summit, which should succeed without the US’ participation.

Ramaphosa must never abandon dialogue amid frustrations caused by Trump’s withdrawal, said public policy analyst Bennitto Motitswe.

The US leader said no American official would set foot on South African soil for the high-level international gathering, claiming South Africa had committed genocide against Afrikaners, whom he had offered refugee status from May this year.

Dialogue between the US and South Africa is crucial

In an interview with The Citizen, Motitswe explained his support for sustained dialogue, saying the ongoing dialogue between the US and South Africa is crucial and cannot be halted as it plays a vital role in maintaining their relationship.

“It must concern all members and non-members of G20 that the US, as the successor to the throne after SA, is snubbing the event.

“Trump will miss an opportunity to interact with ordinary people and see for himself how South Africans of all races are doing their part in small ways to rebuild the diverse nation that Nelson Mandela envisioned.

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“Ramaphosa must continue to talk to Trump, because there is a lot at stake to promote existing people-to-people relations, in the same way that there is a need to bridge government-to-government policy stances.

“Therefore, giving up on dialogue is not an option, no matter the frustrations caused by strained diplomatic engagements between the two,” Motitswe said.

Trump’s snub won’t affect G20 Summit

Independent analyst Sandile Swana said the US boycott of the summit would not affect the summit.

It would succeed because South Africa enjoyed the support of significant countries, including US allies like the United Kingdom and the European Union, which pledged to increase aid to the country.

Trump decided to boycott the summit after realising South Africa is neither backing down, nor buckling under his pressure for Pretoria to align with America, Swana said.

The US president made up his mind after initially agreeing to send Vice-President JD Vance to the summit, merely because he has realised that South Africa, instead of agreeing to align with the US, was drifting further away towards China, Swana said.

ALSO READ: ‘Their loss’: Ramaphosa says US snub won’t stop G20 summit

On advanced preparations by the Gauteng government and other state organs for the summit, an upbeat Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, Gauteng MEC for roads and transport, acknowledged the upcoming G20 has revived the spirit of collaboration and cooperation in delivering services.

Diale-Tlabela has been working closely with all stakeholders in public infrastructure and public transport, including municipalities and agencies, demanding that each do their part in fixing traffic lights, potholes and other road infrastructure problems.

“And there is evidence that G20 has reignited the spirit of the 2010 soccer World Cup, where government, business and law enforcement agencies work together to deal with rampant vandalism, destruction, and theft of public infrastructure,” Diale-Tlabela said.

As a result, there is improved monitoring and impressive repairs of public infrastructure across the province.

There is generally an acknowledged weakness in the government’s approach to working in silos, but the G20, like the World Cup, has compelled an integrated approach to resolving challenges.

These challenges include service delivery, combating crime and protecting public infrastructure, Diale-Tlabela said.