The Democratic Alliance (DA) has criticised United States President Donald Trump’s move to block South Africa from participating in the Group of 20 (G20), describing it as unfortunate and contrary to multilateral principles.
Trump announced on Wednesday night that South Africa would not be welcome at next year’s G20 gathering in Florida, reacting angrily to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision not to hand over the G20 presidency to a US diplomat during the closing ceremony of the leaders’ summit on Sunday.
He also declared that remaining US funding to South Africa would be halted, while once again repeating unfounded claims that Afrikaners face human rights abuses in the country.
The DA’s spokesperson on international relations, Ryan Smith, said the United States does not have the authority to exclude member states from the G20, noting that the organisation functions through multilateral cooperation.
Smith added that the position taken by Washington reflects the Trump administration’s longstanding resistance to international, rules-based systems, an approach the DA views as concerning but one South Africa will need to navigate.
While the US cannot unilaterally remove South Africa from the G20, it could obstruct participation by denying or revoking visas for South African delegates.
The possibility gained traction after the recent cancellation of former international relations minister Naledi Pandor’s US visa. Pandor had travelled to the US last week to meet with the organisation Justice For All before her visa was withdrawn.
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