President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday that he will symbolically hand over the G20 presidency to “an empty chair” at next week’s summit after the United States confirmed it will not attend.
Washington withdrew from the 22 to 23 November meeting over President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of human rights abuses in South Africa, including allegations that white farmers are being targeted.
Speaking in Soweto, Ramaphosa said he still intends to engage Trump and stressed that repairing strained trade ties remains essential. He dismissed assertions of ethnic cleansing, noting officials reject any claim that South Africans face discrimination based on race.
Ramaphosa said cutting ties with one of South Africa’s biggest export markets would harm ordinary Americans and South Africans alike. He added that difficult partners sometimes need to be engaged to protect national interests.
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