Tensions between South Africa and the United States escalated at the Johannesburg G20 Summit, reaching a peak when Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola declared that South Africa would not hand over the G20 symbol to the American delegation at the closing ceremony of the summit.
According to the minister, instead of a formal handover at the summit, “the US will have to collect it from the offices of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).”
Lamola firmly refuted claims that the United States was denied access to the summit. He emphasized that the issue stemmed from the inappropriate level of the delegation the US sent to the leaders’ summit.
“The correct level is a head of state, a special envoy appointed by the president, or a minister… If they wish to be represented, they can send someone of an appropriate level. This is a leaders’ summit,” he stated.
NEWSROOM IN BONUS
NEWSROOM IN notes that the conflict between the two countries began in early 2025, when US President Donald Trump publicly stated he would not travel to South Africa. Trump’s dissatisfaction stemmed from land reform in South Africa, where, according to him, land was being seized from the descendants of European colonists.
In September, Trump indicated that US Vice President J.D. Vance would travel to Johannesburg in his stead. Closer to the summit’s start, it became known that even the Vice President would not attend. The US decided to send a small delegation led by its Chargé d’affaires ad interim in Pretoria.
Days before the summit, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa informed guests that Pretoria had received “notification from the United States… of a change of mind” regarding the boycott, and that Washington could now participate in the summit “in some form or another.”
These remarks, for some reason, did not sit well with Donald Trump’s team. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt publicly issued a sharp statement directed at President Ramaphosa. She called South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s comment “rambling” that “neither the President nor his team liked.”
Leavitt’s bluntness sparked strong indignation in South Africa. Ultimately, this escalated into a diplomatic scandal, prompting South Africa to impose a protocol barrier to demonstrate that it would not tolerate disrespect from the US.
Importance of G20 Symbol Transfer Ceremony
The final decision regarding the US’s absence was made in Johannesburg, as South Africa deemed the proposed delegation composition a serious breach of protocol. The US is preparing to assume the G20 presidency from South Africa, and the ceremony for transferring the G20 symbol is an event of the highest political significance.
A Chargé d’affaires ad interim is the head of a diplomatic mission of the lowest rank, considered a junior, temporary representative.
Pretoria viewed this as a diplomatic snub. President Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, stated: “It is not acceptable for a head of state to hand over the presidency and leadership of such an important, leading forum… to a junior embassy official.”
Consequently, South Africa did not permit the US delegation to attend unless its composition matched the event’s importance, leading to the de facto exclusion of the US from the summit.
