The US questioning of the legitimacy of the G20 summit held in Johannesburg over the weekend is misplaced, as the bloc is made up of the most influential economies in the world, and they approved the declarations taken at the event.
This was said by William Baloyi, the head of the Government Communication and Information Systems (GCIS), who was responding to the White House, which on Saturday said South Africa was refusing to facilitate a smooth transition of its presidency of the Group of 20 major economies to the US, after the G20 issued a declaration on climate change despite US objections.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said President Cyril Ramaphosa had pushed to issue a G20 leaders’ declaration addressing the climate crisis and other global challenges “despite consistent and robust US objections.”
She said US President Donald Trump looked forward to “restoring legitimacy to the G20 when the US hosts the summit next year.”
US President Donald Trump has come under fire for his ‘bullying’ tactics following his G20 boycott.
Baloyi said the US will determine how it hosts the summit next year, but he stressed that the G20 is not South Africa, which is a member of the global community.
“Whatever any host nation says, they must know that they are talking to the world and not us specifically.”
He said the hosting of the G20 presidency had been completed successfully, and it is now being handed over to the US, but on behalf of the other senior countries of the G20.
“South Africa is a permanent and legitimate member of the G20, and the declaration was adopted overwhelmingly by members of the bloc, so it represents the aspirations of these members,” Baloyi said.
About 42 countries and institutions were represented at the meeting over the weekend, but the US, which has condemned South Africa’s position as host, was absent.
Trump has falsely accused the South African government of ordering a genocide against white Afrikaners.
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshaveni, also weighed in, saying that the legitimacy of the summit could not be questioned as the declaration was issued by the partners in the G20 who attended the summit, and not South Africa acting on its own.
“We have prioritised those things in the declaration that South Africa, other African countries, and our partners in the G20 will continue to implement…we don’t need anybody to take them forward, we can take them forward ourselves.
“But also the United Kingdom will take them forward (when it hosts the G20 in 2027), and we will remain part of the troika of the G20, and we will make sure the South African voice will be there.
“If they don’t want us to participate, they will have to tell the nineteen other members of the G20 that South Africa cannot participate, and the world will have to watch what the other members of the (bloc) will do.”
President Ramaphosa on Sunday said the G20 is the premier platform for global cooperation.
“Recognising the importance of this milestone, we have sought to place Africa’s growth and development at the heart of the G20’s agenda.
“Through partnerships across society and by remembering our common humanity, we can create a more secure, a more just and a more prosperous world,” Ramaphosa said.
The G20 Summit leaders, through the declaration, have reaffirmed their commitment to support efforts addressing the economic obstacles faced by developing countries, including the unfair debt regime.
This has resulted in a high level of debt, which prevents inclusive growth in many developing economies, limits their ability to invest in infrastructure, disaster resilience, healthcare, education, and other development needs, the leaders declared.
Maxim Oreshkin, the deputy head of the Russian Federation’s presidential administration, said ‘weak (global financial) institutions limit the financial flows of developing countries, and this is not enough to deal with the African debt crisis, which will reach three trillion dollars this year.
International relations expert Dr Noluthando Phungula said the US questioning the legitimacy of the summit will exacerbate tensions with South Africa.
“It comes as no surprise. South Africa still hosted a successful summit without the US, and this signals the ability of developing states to thrive with or without the USA. We hope that SA’s successful hosting strengthens the call toward multilateralism.”
Phungula said the US stance on South Africa, by sending a junior delegation, ‘speaks to a disregard for the development world’ and this would push the countries within the developing world and Pretoria closer to China, Russia, and other BRICS nations.
“The growing alignment of South Africa and other developing nations with alternative global governance structures reflects a larger shift in global power dynamics, where nations in the Global South, such as South Africa, look to counterbalance Western influence. This reality builds into the BRICS expansion and growth.”
Phungula said the US decision not to send a senior Trump administration official to attend the summit, “inadvertently speaks to a clearer call from the Global South towards multilateralism and a reformation of international power structures”. – IOL
