South Africa (SA) will not be lobbying any sovereign state to boycott Sherpa meetings or the G20 Leaders’ Summit under the Presidency of the United States of America (USA).
President Cyril Ramaphosa says SA will never look down on or treat other nations in a derogatory manner.
His remarks come as Pretoria has faced an onslaught from Washington, souring diplomatic relations between SA and the USA an all-time low.
Teeing off on the golf course, where he was meant to do so with Trump during the G20 summit, but now their rivalry relates to who is the more mature leader between the two.
Trump’s administration has heeded his instruction of shutting South Africa out of all G20 events leading to the Leaders’ summit in Miami next year.
But SA is not going to retaliate in a manner that is devoid of diplomatic decorum protocols.
Ramaphosa says he will not engage with Trump in an undignified manner.
Ramaphosa: “No, we don’t need to mobilise anyone. We not wired that way as SA, every country must take its own decisions, and we are who we are, and we don’t really pedal our role in any shape or form.
People or countries respect us for what we are, and they applauded our role in the G20 for the manner in which we ran and managed the G20. So as SA, we leave every country to make up its own mind with regards to all that is happening.”
Ramaphosa added that Trump’s conduct and attitude are not keeping him up at night. Trump said SA will not be invited to this month’s G20 Sherpa meeting.
–SABC–
