Johannesburg, South Africa – The first G20 Leaders' Summit ever held on African soil opened on November 22, 2025, at the Nasrec Expo Centre, with world leaders arriving amid colourful cultural performances and heavy security. Yet the historic moment has been overshadowed by a sharp diplomatic clash between host South Africa and the United States, after President Donald Trump announced a full boycott of the November 22-23 gathering.
On Saturday, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told reporters on the sidelines of the summit that the formal handover of the G20 presidency to the United States would take place “at an appropriate level.” He confirmed that Washington had proposed conducting the ceremony through its embassy’s chargé d’affaires, Marc D. Dillard, rather than sending a cabinet-level official or the president himself.
Lamola explained that South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) insists the handover should normally occur at head-of-state or ministerial level. Since the U.S. had chosen to be represented only by a chargé d’affaires, Pretoria would respond in kind: the exchange would now happen at DIRCO headquarters in Pretoria, starting as early as Monday, between officials of equivalent diplomatic rank.
“This cannot in any way strain relations,” Lamola stressed, adding that South Africa would accord the American representative “equivalent respect” by ensuring the South African official conducting the handover matches the rank of chargé d’affaires. He was careful to separate the purely ceremonial handover from the substantive discussions taking place at the summit, which were attended by numerous heads of state and high-level delegates.
The unusual arrangement marks a break with tradition. G20 presidencies are typically transferred in a public ceremony at the end of the leaders’ summit, often involving the symbolic passing of a gavel or joint appearance by the outgoing and incoming presidents. No such moment will occur in Johannesburg.
Just two days earlier, President Cyril Ramaphosa had told journalists there was still a chance the U.S. might change its mind and send a senior representative. The White House immediately rejected the suggestion, with a spokesperson dismissing Ramaphosa’s comments as inaccurate and reaffirming that only embassy staff would handle any required formalities.
Trump announced the boycott on November 7, declaring it a “total disgrace” for South Africa to host the G20 while, in his view, committing “human rights abuses” against white Afrikaner farmers, including farm murders and land confiscation without compensation. South African officials have repeatedly described these claims as baseless and rooted in long-debunked narratives. Government data and independent analyses show that farm attacks are overwhelmingly robbery-driven and that white farmers are not disproportionately targeted compared with overall violent crime rates in the country. The controversial Expropriation Act, often cited by critics, includes constitutional provisions for fair compensation and judicial review.
Bilateral relations have deteriorated sharply over the past year, reaching their lowest point since the end of apartheid. Disagreements span foreign policy (including South Africa’s stance on Ukraine and Palestine) and domestic issues such as land reform aimed at addressing historical inequities.
Despite the tensions, the summit itself has been hailed by many participants as a success. Fifteen of the G20’s nineteen member countries were represented at head-of-state or head-of-government level, alongside the European Union and the African Union (the latter a permanent member since 2023). Notable absences or lower-level representation included Argentina (President Javier Milei stayed away in solidarity with Trump), Mexico, China (Premier Li Qiang attended instead of President Xi Jinping), and Russia (Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov represented President Putin).
In his opening address, President Ramaphosa urged leaders not to let any single issue diminish the significance of Africa’s first G20 presidency. By Saturday evening, delegates had adopted the Johannesburg Declaration by consensus among attending members – a 28-page document that includes strong language on fighting inequality, mobilising climate finance for developing nations, reforming the global debt architecture, and ensuring fair access to critical minerals. The text notably retains robust references to human-caused climate change, despite reported U.S. efforts in preparatory meetings to water them down.
Side events saw French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announce €10 billion in new climate-adaptation funding for Africa. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushed initiatives on countering the drug-terror nexus and expanding AI access for African creators, while Canadian and Australian leaders focused on clean-energy supply chains involving African cobalt, lithium, and other minerals.
South African officials emphasised that the G20 has never in its history achieved 100 percent head-of-state attendance and that the Johannesburg turnout was among the strongest on record. Over the past year, South Africa hosted more than 120 ministerial and working-level meetings across the country, placing Global South priorities – especially debt relief through the G20 Common Framework and “just energy transitions” – firmly on the agenda.
As the summit concludes on Sunday, attention will turn to the United States, which formally assumes the G20 presidency on December 1, 2025. President Trump has already announced that the 2026 Leaders’ Summit will be held in Miami, Florida, with a significantly streamlined agenda.
For now, the subdued, behind-the-scenes handover in Pretoria underscores how far U.S.–South African relations have fallen, even as Johannesburg’s streets – lined with G20 banners, fresh jacaranda blossoms, and murals celebrating African unity – testify to the continent’s determination to make its voice heard on the global stage.
