South African international relations and cooperation minister Ronald Lamola says the G20 Leaders Summit will proceed in November, whether or not United States (US) president Donald Trump participates.
South Africa is set to host the 2025 G20 Summit in Johannesburg in November. This will mark the bloc’s first gathering on African soil.
Lamola at a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday said there is no clear indication whether the US will attend, after Trump suggested he might skip the event in protest of what he terms genocide allegations against South Africa.
South Africa holds the rotating G20 presidency for 2025, culminating in a November-Johannesburg summit.
Officials say the meeting will focus on inclusive economic growth, food security, and artificial intelligence for sustainable development, framed by Ubuntu-inspired values and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
“Trump has made it clear that he may not attend the summit, so far we have no indication of whether he will be sending a delegation, but South Africa will continue with its plans and the Summit will happen with or without Trump,” Lamola said.
Addressing the genocide accusations, Lamola insisted the claims were unfounded.
“On assertions of human rights violations as contained in the latest US Human Rights 2024 report, we reiterate that allegations of state-sponsored human rights violations are not factual.”
He also cited rural safety statistics from the South African Police Service to counter claims of targeted violence against a specific community.
For the fourth quarter of the 2024/25 financial year, six murders were recorded in farming communities.
Lamola noted that the victims comprised three employees, one farm dweller, and two farmers, arguing that the data shows rural crime affects everyone on farms rather than targeting a single demographic.
He reiterated that South Africa will press ahead with preparations and will host the summit with or without US attendance.
– IOL Politics
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