Trump's G20 boycott signals another low point in diplomatic relations

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump's decision to boycott the G20 Summit in Johannesburg will not only further weaken strained US-SA relations, but will push Pretoria closer to China, Russia, and other BRICS nations.

- RAPULA MOATSHE

"This reality builds into the BRICS expansion and growth. This decision inadvertently speaks to a clearer call from the Global South towards multilateralism and a reformation of international power structures," said University of Kwa-Zulu Natal international relations expert Dr Noluthando Phungula. Her remarks come after President Cyril Ramaphosa recently described the US decision to snub the summit "their loss," saying that "boycott politics doesn't work" and that the summit will proceed without the US.