Johannesburg – President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa will symbolically hand over the G20 presidency to an empty chair at the summit next week after U.S. President Donald Trump said no officials would attend. The summit is scheduled for November 22 to 23 in South Africa.
Trump cited alleged human rights abuses against Afrikaners, claims widely disputed by South African authorities, as the reason for the U.S. absence. Afrikaners, mostly descendants of Dutch settlers, make up the majority of the country’s white population.
Speaking in Soweto while supervising summit preparations, Ramaphosa said he preferred not to hand over the presidency to an empty chair, but would do so symbolically before discussing matters with Trump.
South African officials have repeatedly rejected assertions of racial discrimination against white citizens, noting the country’s majority Black population governs under democratic rule. Ramaphosa stressed the importance of maintaining trade relations with the United States, one of South Africa’s largest economic partners. He noted that South African exports ultimately reach U.S. consumers, even if political leaders appear disengaged.
“Sometimes you have to talk to people who may not be very friendly to advance the interests of your own people,” Ramaphosa said.
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