South Africa remains 'upbeat' on US G20 participation despite high-level snubs

The Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Alvin Botes, expressed confidence today that the United States would continue to participate in current G20 meetings, despite lingering concerns over a "watered-down" American contribution.

Deputy Minister Botes was speaking at a G20 dialogue hosted by the Southern African Liaison Office, part of ongoing discussions aimed at determining how Africa can best leverage South Africa’s G20 Presidency to address the continent’s complex challenges.

Key issues on the agenda include governance, slow economic growth, rising poverty, and runaway unemployment.

America’s engagement in this year’s events has been questioned following the absence of several key White House officials from previous gatherings in South Africa.

This includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who skipped the first G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg in March due to a policy disagreement with Pretoria.

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US President Donald Trump is also unlikely to attend the all-important Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg in November. However, Deputy Minister Botes remained optimistic about the commitment to high-level participation.

“The presence of the Vice President of the USA will cement the role that G20 plays and the obligations it imposes on all its members,” Botes said, referring to the confirmation that Vice President JD Vance will represent President Trump at the November summit.

However, Brian Kagoro, Managing Director at the Open Society Foundation, argued that the effectiveness of the G20’s policy agenda should not be dependent on the US's participation.

“The determination of whether or not this is truly an African G20 and not a G20 in South Africa is not about whether the US shows up, it’s whether or not African people show up,” Kagoro stated.

The United States is scheduled to hold the G20 Presidency next.