South Africa says it was disinvited from the G7 summit in France, initially citing US pressure before backtracking amid strained bilateral relations.
JOHANNESBURG: South Africa announced it has been excluded from the upcoming G7 summit in France. The initial invitation to President Cyril Ramaphosa was withdrawn, with Pretoria first blaming US pressure before retracting the claim.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya stated Ramaphosa was disinvited due to Washington’s boycott threats. “We are told that the Americans threatened to boycott the G7 if South Africa was invited,” Magwenya told AFP.
Hours later, Ramaphosa contradicted this, stating “his information” indicated “no pressure from any country”. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot denied yielding to pressure, calling it a decision for a “streamlined G7”.
France invited Kenya instead to help prepare its Africa summit in Nairobi. A US State Department official later clarified, “We have not asked the French to exclude South Africa from the G7 Summit.”
Relations between Washington and Pretoria have deteriorated over several issues. These include South Africa’s genocide case against Israel and President Donald Trump’s claims about persecuted white Afrikaners.
Trump has repeatedly clashed with the South African government. He imposed 30% tariffs on most South African exports last year, though the US Supreme Court later overruled his tariffs policy.
The US president also criticised South Africa’s racial justice policies. His administration clashed with Pretoria over the International Court of Justice case against Israel regarding Gaza.
Since Trump boycotted the G20 summit in Johannesburg last November, South Africa has been excluded from the group’s work. Washington holds the G20’s rotating presidency this year.
French President Emmanuel Macron had personally invited Ramaphosa to the G7 during that G20 summit. The Group of Seven often invites other nations like Brazil, India and South Korea this year.
South Africa was similarly invited to the G7 organised by Canada in 2025. The presidency spokesperson said the exclusion “will have no impact” on South Africa’s strong bilateral ties with France.
He added South Africa “remains committed to engage constructively with the US”. The diplomatic relationship “predate the Trump administration and they will outlive the current White House term of office”.
Pretoria earlier summoned new US ambassador Brent Bozell over “undiplomatic remarks”. Bozell labelled an apartheid-era chant as “hate speech” and criticised black economic empowerment policies.
South African courts have ruled the chant does not constitute hate speech. Bozell later backtracked, saying the US government respected the independence of South Africa’s judiciary.
Washington expelled Pretoria’s ambassador Ebrahim Rasool last March after he criticised Trump’s MAGA movement. A replacement has not yet been named.
The presidency spokesperson said Ramaphosa was “getting closer to appointing the South African ambassador to the US”. The new envoy will join the team engaging with US counterparts
