The G20 at a crossroads: South Africa backs multilateralism and eyes the EU following US snub
fanny.pollet@i…
Tue, 02/11/2025 – 12:07
5 minutes
‘We will not be bullied!’ declared Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, in his address to the nation on 6 February 2025. This was in response to recent remarks by US officials and to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s decision to snub the upcoming G20 Ministerial meeting in Johannesburg.While tension seemed inevitable between the US and South Africa following Trump’s election – particularly over the referral of Israel to the International Court of Justice and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) – the current level of pressure now leaves little doubt that Washington’s intentions extend beyond undermining multilateralism. It now seems focused on undermining diplomacy itself, unless the US is at the helm. A recent bill which permits the expropriation of land in the national interest is at the heart of the debate. Similar to the eminent domain in the US, the bill repeals the expropriation act of 1975 and …read more
