South Africa defended its decision to refuse handing over the G20 presidency to a United States embassy official, saying the diplomatic protocol for such a transfer shows appropriate respect to Washington despite the absence of senior American representatives.
International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola said on Saturday it would not be proper for President Cyril Ramaphosa to transfer the G20 leadership to a charge d’affaires at a summit attended by numerous heads of state.
“The handover must happen at a head-of-state level or at least a minister who is properly designated by the president of the USA,” Lamola told reporters on the sidelines of the summit.
The exchange of documents will take place at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation offices in Pretoria from Monday, with diplomatic-level officials handling the transfer.
“As the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, we are very much ready, we are prepared, and this cannot in any way strain relations, because we are doing it at an appropriate level,” Lamola said in a statement.
The move followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to boycott the Johannesburg summit and withdraw an earlier commitment to send Vice President JD Vance. Trump cited widely discredited claims of white genocide in South Africa, calling the hosting of the summit there “a total disgrace.”
The United States late in the process requested to send its charge d’affaires, Marc Dillard, to receive the presidency handover at the summit closing ceremony.
In an unprecedented procedural move, Ramaphosa put the summit’s final declaration to a vote immediately after delivering his opening remarks on Saturday. The 122-point declaration was adopted by G20 members, though Argentina said it could not endorse the document.
“Argentina, although it cannot endorse the declaration, remains fully committed to the spirit of cooperation that has defined the G20 since its conception,” Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said at the summit.
Forty-two countries and institutions attended the two-day summit. The United States was the only G20 member state without representation at the gathering, the first such summit held on the African continent.
Lamola emphasized the U.S. absence was voluntary.
South Africa confirmed it will fully participate in the 2026 G20 programme, when the United States is scheduled to host the summit.
The diplomatic tensions have not deterred South Africa’s commitment to the G20 process, officials said, with Pretoria maintaining it extended proper hospitality while upholding diplomatic protocol.
