White House Criticism of South Africa at G20 Summit

Johannesburg: The White House has publicly criticized South Africa during the G20 summit taking place in Johannesburg. Anna Kelly, the deputy press secretary, responded to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa after Pretoria declined to permit a U.S. embassy delegation to attend the closing ceremony of the summit.

The U.S. is slated to take over the G20 presidency next year. However, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson indicated at the summit that the president would not host a handover ceremony for the junior diplomat, even though Washington had requested that the chargé d’affaires attend.

Kerry remarked that “President Ramaphosa initially declared he would pass the gavel to the ’empty chair.’ Now he seems to be refusing to ensure a smooth transition to the U.S. G20 Presidency altogether.” This reflects the tense relationship between Pretoria and Washington regarding multiple G20 topics.

White House Responses; President Trump on G20 Attendance

Kerry added, “This, paired with South Africa pushing to issue the G20 Leaders’ Declaration despite the U.S.’s strong opposition, indicates that South Africa is using its presidency to undermine the core principles of the G20. President Trump looks forward to reinstating G20 integrity in 2026 when the U.S. hosts.”

Previously, President Trump withdrew U.S. participation from the summit, citing claims of racial discrimination affecting some white South Africans.

In another development, South Africa’s Chief Rabbi, Dr. Warren Goldstein, criticized the G20 in an interview, questioning how the leaders could overlook significant human rights issues during the summit. He expressed concern over the lack of condemnation for the ongoing crises, particularly against Christians across the continent amid rising jihadist violence.

“On Friday alone, over 300 girls and 12 teachers were kidnapped from a Catholic school in Nigeria,” he noted. “Who will speak out for them? The G20’s silence on such atrocities is a moral failure, and history will judge this summit harshly.”

The summit sees participation from 42 world leaders and major organizations like the United Nations. Recently, only Italian President Giorgia Meloni addressed the subject of Christian persecution, urging the Nigerian government to protect religious communities.

Interestingly, there are questions about the legitimacy of the G20 leaders’ declaration. Ramaphosa might not have realized that his microphone was on shortly after Saturday’s session began, as journalists overheard him indicating support for the final resolution before discussions commenced.

As it stands, South Africa officially regards the U.S. as “absent” from this G20 summit, with the only American representation being the flag displayed at the media center.

The recently issued statement from the G20 Leaders’ Declaration mentioned condemning attacks against civilians and urged nations to avoid using force for political ends. The document emphasized a general condemnation of terrorism, irrespective of its form.

Fox News Digital reached out for comments from the South African government but did not receive a reply.