Following White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt slamming a head of state, accusing President Cyril Ramaphosa of “running his mouth” over the US’ boycott of the G20 Leaders’ Summit, the Presidency says Ramaphosa will not hand over the G20 presidency to the US chargé d’affaires, Marc D Dillard.
Dillard is expected to lead the US delegation at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Nasrec, Johannesburg, this weekend.
Tensions
Tension between South Africa and the US has been simmering, with US President Donald Trump this week going on a rant about an unsubstantiated claim that South Africa has “behaved badly” and is “exterminating people.”
On Thursday, Leavitt confirmed that a delegation will be present to receive the G20 Presidency from South Africa at the end of the summit, but made it clear that it will not participate in the gathering.
“I saw the South African president running his mouth a little bit against the United States and Donald Trump earlier today, and that language is not appreciated by the president or his team.
“The ambassador, or the representative of the embassy in South Africa, is simply there to recognise that the United States will be the host of the G20. They are receiving that send-off at the end of the event,” Leavitt said.
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Not to junior
With US President Donald Trump and high-profile individuals boycotting the G20 Leaders’ Summit, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, posted on X, saying the president will not hand over the G20 Presidency to a junior official.
In diplomatic terms, Dillard is considered a junior embassy official.
“The President will not hand over to a Charge’ d’ Affaires,” Magwenya said.
Trump singles out SA
Earlier, speaking at the South Africa-European Union Trilateral Leaders’ Meeting on Thursday evening, Ramaphosa said discussions with the US were still ongoing, hoping that Trump and the US would change their minds and attend the G20 summit.
Trump has singled out South Africa for harsh treatment on several issues since he returned to the White House in January, notably making debunked claims of white Afrikaners being systematically “killed and slaughtered” in the country.
He ambushed Ramaphosa in the Oval Office earlier this year, playing a video in which he alleged a campaign against white farmers by the post-apartheid government.
In May, Trump offered Afrikaners refugee status; the first group of around 50 was flown to the US on a chartered plane.
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