{"id":16682,"date":"2025-03-06T11:17:32","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T09:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jhb-webdevelopers\/channelafrica\/special-project\/sa-asserts-g20-commitment-despite-us-absence\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T14:47:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T12:47:21","slug":"sa-asserts-g20-commitment-despite-us-absence","status":"publish","type":"special-project","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/special-project\/sa-asserts-g20-commitment-despite-us-absence\/","title":{"rendered":"SA asserts G20 commitment despite US absence"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10dab82 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent e-lazyloaded\" data-id=\"10dab82\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5192d63 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5192d63\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3833c0d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3833c0d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">South Africa\u2019s (SA) President Cyril Ramaphosa has reassured the world that the G20 summit will proceed as planned, even after the United States (US) announced its decision to skip the event.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3016c78 elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-content\" data-id=\"3016c78\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-content.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Speaking at the G20 Foreign Ministers\u2019 meeting in Johannesburg, Ramaphosa underscored SA\u2019s unwavering dedication to diplomatic engagement with the US, despite the absence of Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He clarified that the US\u2019 absence was not a deliberate snub, making it clear that lower-level US officials are still attending the talks.<\/p>\n<p>Ramaphosa highlighted the importance of the US as SA\u2019s second-largest trading partner, with deep ties spanning political, trade, and diplomatic spheres. \u201cWe live in an interconnected world. No country can isolate itself, and SA will continue to collaborate with the US on various fronts,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n<p>The absence of the US Secretary of State at such a pivotal meeting has sparked debate about the state of US-South Africa relations. Professor Malusi Mncube from the University of Johannesburg weighed in, acknowledging that the US\u2019s decision to send a lower-ranking representative sends a message about the US\u2019s discomfort with SA\u2019s international stance. \u201cWhile it\u2019s not a direct snub, it reflects a subtle dissatisfaction with SA\u2019s foreign policy choices,\u201d Mncube commented. \u201cBut the G20 will continue to advance its agenda regardless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In parallel, Professor Oscar Van Hilden, a senior academic at the University of Johannesburg, urged South Africans to stay resilient amid a rapidly changing global landscape. He pointed to the weaponisation of the US Dollar as a global economic tool and warned that the US\u2019s economic influence may be contributing to instability in global markets.<\/p>\n<p>The G20 summit also saw notable developments as Nigeria and Egypt were officially inducted as permanent invitees, adding to Africa\u2019s growing influence in global economic discussions. Meanwhile, several African nations were invited to participate in the G20\u2019s eighth cycle in Johannesburg, with Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Dr Nasiphi Moya, highlighting the opportunity for Africa to influence discussions on urban development and climate change.<\/p>\n<p>As the digital age unfolds, there are growing calls from African entrepreneurs for policies that prioritise artificial intelligence (AI), with leaders like Tholang Mathopa, Chief Executive Officer of Leriba AI, urging a shift towards AI solutions tailored to Africa\u2019s unique challenges.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;ChannelAfrica&#8211;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-effcd3d e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent e-lazyloaded\" data-id=\"effcd3d\" data-element_type=\"container\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":16683,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"featured-post":[],"class_list":["post-16682","special-project","type-special-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The G20 summit also saw notable developments as Nigeria and Egypt were officially inducted as permanent invitees.","count_down_image":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/special-project\/16682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/special-project"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/special-project"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"featured-post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured-post?post=16682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}