Donald Trump’s announcement this week that his country will not participate in the G20 summit in Johannesburg confirmed a decision that had been telegraphed for a while, since the US president began spreading the blatant untruth of a white genocide taking place in South Africa. Unsurprising then, that President Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed Washington’s boycott as “their loss”.
However, the sparring between Pretoria and Washington should not detract from the significance of the G20 being held on African soil for the first time since its inception. Being the world’s largest economy and one of its most powerful political players, the voice of the US is necessary at forums such as the G20.
On the other hand, the decision to attend by other members of the group represents a resounding endorsement of the importance of multilateralism in the search for solutions to humanity’s problems — a position held dearly by our country. Participating countries will represent all of the world’s geopolitical regions.
Despite the absence of the US, it behoves our country to ensure a well-run G20 summit. More importantly, we have to make certain that the outcomes reflect the key issues of concern to humanity. Challenges confronting the world today include climate change, preserving world peace, rising trade tensions and economic inequality within and between countries.
In particular, South Africa should endeavour to foreground matters of importance to Africa as a whole, as it cannot hope to prosper alone while it leaves the rest of the continent behind.
Neither South Africa nor other participating nations should allow themselves to be distracted by the spoilsport tactics of anyone, not even the world’s most powerful economy.
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