Trump’s exclusion of SA from the G20 summit: implications for global co-operation

VAT FIASCO

- ADVOCATE LAVAN GOPAUL

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump announced plans for the 2026 G20 summit with US treasury secretary Scott Bessent, right, and director of the National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, in the Oval Office of the White House.

(KEVIN DIETSCH Getty Images via AFP)

PRESIDENT Donald Trump announced, a few days ago, that South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 G20 Summit, which would be hosted in Miami in the USA.

He included that payments and subsidies to South Africa would cease immediately.

On the face of it, this appears to be a symbolic diplomatic snub. Trump cited South Africa's refusal to formally hand over the G20 presidency at the close of the Johannesburg summit.

At a deeper level, there lies a potential material fallout not only for South Africa, but also for the G20's credibility, and for economic realignment among Global South nations.

The United States boycotted the G20 summit, and Professor Jeffrey Sachs (US) aptly characterised the American absence as the result of Trump's conduct, which he likened to that of a "four-year-old".

What is the G20? It is an international forum for the world's 19 largest economies, as well as the European Union and the African Union, which convenes annually to discuss and coordinate policy on global economic and financial issues, as well as other challenges such as climate change and development.

It was established in 1999 to address global financial crises and is the premier forum for international economic cooperation.

The group's members represent about 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and nearly two-thirds of the world's population.