President Cyril Ramaphosa. Photo: Brenton Geach/Gallo Images
President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday he hoped US president-elect Donald Trump would attend the G20 summit in South Africa next year — and find the time for a friendly round of golf.
“If he has time, he has a very busy schedule, when he can go and hit some balls on the golf course, we will point him in the right direction, in one of the beautiful courses that we have,” Ramaphosa said.
“And we might find that there is a lot of competition among our golf courses on where President Trump and possibly myself can go and play golf and talk about global matters.”
South Africa on Sunday assumed the presidency of the G20, the top forum for international economic cooperation, and will host its annual summit in late November 2025.
Days later, it will hand over the presidency to the United States, which now forms part of the body’s troika, alongside South Africa and the previous president, Brazil.
Ramaphosa dismissed concerns that decisions taken under South Africa’s leadership, to reflect its emphasis on the priorities of Africa as a collective and other developing nations, may promptly be revised by the US given the change in foreign policy emphasis expected under Trump.
The incoming US president has announced plans to raise trade tariffs on America’s three biggest trading partners — China, Canada and Mexico — and is considered to place less importance on ties with Africa than the outgoing administration of Joe Biden.
“I don’t believe that what will be decided here will be diluted,” Ramaphosa said.
“The United States formally joined the G20 troika when South Africa assumed the presidency on Sunday, and is therefore expected to follow custom closely and work with the incumbent throughout the year.”
Ramaphosa noted that the troika system was intended to ensure continuity in the work of the forum.
“The strength of the G20 really is that each declaration that encompasses the outcomes of discussions in various working groups builds on previous declarations,” he said.
“That presents a body of information, of precedent, that the G20 hardly ever deviates from. You would have heard me say we are going to seek to conduct a review of the past G20s.”
In that review, Ramaphosa said, South Africa’s G20 team has scrutinised the implementation of decisions and development of themes elaborated under the stewardship of other countries, on topics ranging from climate change and global trade to human rights.
“What we have found there has always been forward movement, and there has always been progress that has been made as the G20 has had to deal with existential issues that affect various parts of the world.”
It meant, he said, that he was not concerned that what was agreed during South Africa’s term as G20 president would be treated any differently.
“All the wonderful decisions will rub off on those that will follow and we will be able through the various working groups, through our sherpas and sous-sherpas, be able to remind everyone of the decisions that have been taken.
“So I see very little room for any major break with what the G20 would have concluded.”
Ramaphosa said South Africa’s modus operandi throughout the G20 presidency would be to seek to ensure that decisions are arrived at through “sufficient consensus”.
“So I think there will be sufficient shock absorbers that will be put in place to enable the G20 to continue to function in a way that will advance the interest of the world.
“And remember, through the G20 we are not advancing the interest of a single country, we are advancing the interest of the people of the world collectively.”
He reiterated that while doing so, South Africa would aim to use the opportunity to amplify the voice and address the collective concerns of Africa and the rest of the Global South.
“Through this presidency South Africa has a valuable opportunity to advance efforts towards greater global economic growth and sustainable development. It also has an important role to play in bringing to bear, to the table, for full discussion issues that matter most to our own continent and to the Global South.
“But it also gives us an opportunity, collectively as South Africans, to have an influence on some of the development trajectories that we would like to see in the world.”
He said he did not believe South Africa’s foreign policy choices, including its landmark genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice, should complicate cooperation with powerful G20 member nations.
“On Israel and Palestine, also on our stance on the wars that continue to take place in the world, that we are a peace-loving country but also have taken up the role of being a peace-maker where we can.”
South Africa derived much leverage from its non-aligned stance, he insisted, because it allowed it to serve as a neutral broker.
“In various conflicts we have been able to talk to both sides, much as it has tended to upset others. But when they realise the role that we play, they appreciate South Africa’s role in various troublesome conflicts.”
It is expected that Pretoria will have to work with or around Washington’s efforts to end the war in the Ukraine, where Trump has said he would broker peace in the space of a single day.
Foreign media reports in recent days have suggested the incoming US administration will strongarm both sides to the negotiating table by threatening to withhold military support to Ukraine, or to increase it should Russia prove recalcitrant.
The president and International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola have repeatedly said it believed South Africa had the ability to broker direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine because “we are not arming either side”.
Last year, US lawmakers wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressing “serious concern” over South Africa hosting the Agoa forum, citing the country’s stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the allegation that it provided arms to Moscow on the vessel, the Lady R.
Their call was for the White House to place pressure on Pretoria in the context of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), which gives sub-Saharan states duty-free access to the US.
No consequence flowed from it, and Ramaphosa said he doubted the incoming Trump administration would revisit the trade pact as it was mutually beneficial.
“We benefit, and on the other side, the country that signed up to this to give African countries free trade entry also benefits. So I don’t think that one would want to cut one’s nose to spite one’s face.”
South Africa hopes to use the G20 presidency not only to campaign for policy changes in multi-lateral fora to benefit developing nations, but to showcase direct investment opportunities.
Ramaphosa stressed that South Africa will host more than 130 meetings of decision-makers in the course of the coming year, attended by officials from some 30 countries and representatives from over 20 regional and international bodies.
He hoped, he added, that some would decide to “leave their money” in South Africa.