South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Friday that the country will symbolically hand over the G20 presidency to an “empty chair” in response to the absence of U.S. leadership at next week’s summit. The G20 meeting, scheduled for November 22-23 in South Africa, will proceed without U.S. representation after President Donald Trump confirmed no officials would attend.
Trump cited what he described as “human rights abuses” in South Africa, claiming that Afrikaners a group of mainly white South Africans descended from Dutch settlers—are being targeted in violent land disputes. These claims have been widely debunked, with South African authorities rejecting the notion that any racial group faces systematic discrimination.
“I have said in the past, I don’t want to hand over to an empty chair, but the empty chair will be there,” Ramaphosa said while speaking to reporters in Soweto during a pre-summit clean-up event. “I will probably symbolically hand over to that empty chair and then talk to President Trump.”
Ramaphosa emphasized that his priority is maintaining strong economic relations with the United States, one of South Africa’s largest trading partners. “We export products to that country that in the end don’t end up in the White House. They end up in the hands of consumers in the United States,” he said.
Despite rising tensions, South African officials are seeking to repair trade ties and ensure continued engagement with Washington. Ramaphosa acknowledged that sometimes dialogue is necessary, even with leaders who may not be entirely cooperative, in order to advance national economic interests.
The decision to symbolically pass the G20 presidency to an empty chair underscores the diplomatic strain between the two countries while signaling South Africa’s commitment to hosting the summit successfully. It also highlights the delicate balance of defending national interests while addressing controversial international claims.
