- South Africa's ambassador to the United States, Roelf Meyer, addressed the country's exclusion from the upcoming G20 summit in Miami
- Donald Trump boycotted South Africa's 2025 G20 presidency before disinviting the country from the 2026 US-hosted events entirely
- SA did receive an invitation to the B20 business summit in Washington, DC, in November, despite being shut out of the main G20 events
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online journalism.
WESTERN CAPE — South Africa's ambassador to the United States, Roelf Meyer, says the South African government is no longer concerned about being excluded from the G20 Leaders' Summit scheduled for December in Miami, Florida.
Meyer made the remarks on Monday, 26 October 2026, at the Cape Town Press Club. He said Pretoria has shifted its focus to the 2027 G20 cycle, with engagement already underway with the United Kingdom, which will host the forum next year.
SA looks ahead to UK-hosted G20
Addressing questions about the diplomatic fallout with Washington, Meyer acknowledged that the exclusion was initially seen as a setback.
"Initially, it had been seen as a stumbling block in the relationship," he said.
"But in the meantime we are moving on. And next year there is a new host for the G20, and I think conversations with the new host have already started. But I don't think it's troubling the South African government too much at this stage," he added.
SA's exclusion from the US-hosted G20 events follows a period of significant diplomatic strain.
President Donald Trump boycotted South Africa's 2025 G20 presidency before disinviting the country from the 2026 US-hosted events entirely. The White House cited concerns about the alleged mistreatment of white farmers in South Africa, claims that Pretoria has consistently rejected as misinformation.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently called on Trump to reinstate South Africa's invitation, noting that the country is a founding member of the G20. The remaining G20 members will gather in the US for the Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 30 to 31 October in Atlanta, the Sherpa Meeting IV from 10 to 12 December in Miami, and the Leaders' Summit on 14 to 15 December in Miami.
SA to attend B20 Business Summit in November
Meyer confirmed that South Africa had received an invitation to the B20 summit in Washington, DC, in November. The B20 is the business counterpart to the G20 and is organised by the US private sector rather than the US government. Members of the South African embassy and SA business leaders are expected to attend.
Julius Malema slams Trump in G20 build-up
Briefly News reported that Julius Malema took a dig at the United States President in the build-up to the 2025 G20 Summit.
Malema's criticism of Trump came in November 2025 after the US leader said he would not attend the event in South Africa.
Trump said no delegate from the US would attend due to the terrible things that were happening in the country.
Source: Briefly News
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