Trump snubs Ramaphosa at summit amid Iran-Israel conflict

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump snubbed President Cyril Ramaphosa at the G7 Summit in Canada, sparking speculation about the reason.

- MASHUDU SADIKE

Sources and experts suggest it was due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, which started days before the summit.

Iran is now part of BRICS, in which South Africa plays a major role.

Ramaphosa, who was accompanied by International Relations and Co-operation Minister Ronald Lamola, was a guest at the summit as the only African leader.

The G7 consists of the largest advanced economies - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US.

Ramaphosa met with all other leaders on the sidelines of the summit, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

However, Trump left before meeting Ramaphosa, who also concluded his working visit to Kananaskis, Alberta on Tuesday night.

The two leaders did not meet as expected. Ramaphosa was seeking answers from Trump on trade agreements, including the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) and US-SA tariffs.