- America’s week-long “ambush lobbying” campaign to block the G20 declaration failed as key allies, including Canada and the UK, sided with South Africa over Washington.
- Ramaphosa refused to transfer G20 leadership to a junior US embassy official, insisting only heads of state can receive the presidency in line with international protocol.
- South Africa secured declaration approval at the summit’s start rather than at the end, a strategic move to prevent last-minute attempts at derailing consensus on Global South priorities.
The last-minute attempt by the US to block the adoption of the G20 Leaders’ Declaration at the summit in Nasrec failed decisively, with South Africa and the rest of the G20 pushing through the text in a move described as a major victory for multilateralism and the Global South.
City Press understands that for nearly a week, while an impasse persisted between Pretoria and Washington, the US allegedly approached several G20 member states behind the scenes, urging them to object to the declaration in an effort to collapse consensus at the summit.
Multiple diplomatic sources described the tactic as an attempted “ambush lobbying” strategy designed to isolate South Africa.
This after the previous two attempts to force South Africa and the G20 leaders from adopting the declarations was rejected.
However, the effort collapsed after the majority of G20 members, including Canada and the UK – both influential G7 countries – rejected US pressure and instead backed South Africa’s position.
Several countries reportedly argued that key priorities raised at the G20 should be extended to the G7 “to make the world a better place”, demonstrating alignment with Pretoria rather than Washington.
The summit, introduced under Brazil and entrenched by South Africa’s presidency, ran from 22 to 23 November under the theme Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability.
SA scores a historic diplomatic win
In a significant departure from past practice, where the declaration is adopted at the end of the summit, South Africa secured its adoption at the very start of the gathering.
Diplomats say this was a deliberate strategy to prevent last-minute attempts at obstruction.
The early adoption marks a major achievement for South Africa, signalling a consensus among G20 members that no single country, including the US should be able to bully others into shifting agreed global priorities.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the breakthrough reflects a year of coordinated multilateral work.
Magwenya added that the declaration places Africa’s priorities firmly on the global agenda.
“Consider the language and the various issues involved – climate resilience, debt sustainability, and economic development. These are issues key to our continent, and they have now found expression.”
It has been a year-long effort, not only by SA, but by all countries involved in the process. It is a big win for multilateralism and for the Global South and our continent.
— Vincent Magwenya
US absence and the “empty chair” handover
The tensions escalated around the handover of the G20 presidency to the US.
Washington had announced that it would skip the summit entirely, citing “bad things happening” in South Africa.
This was in reference to US President Donald Trump's false allegations of a “white genocide”, which the government of South Africa consistently denied.
President Cyril Ramaphosa was scheduled to hand over the presidency to US President Donald Trump on Sunday.
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Instead, with Trump, his vice-president and senior Cabinet secretaries absent, the US designated its chargé d’affaires, Marc D Dillard, a junior embassy official, to lead its delegation.
Pretoria refused to deal with a junior official.
Ramaphosa and the presidency were unequivocal that a G20 presidency would not be transferred to a junior envoy, calling it a breach of international protocol.
Magwenya stressed: “The president will not hand over to a junior embassy official. It is a breach of protocol that will not be accommodated.”
Despite the US claiming reports of its last-minute shifts in participation were “fake news”, the practical outcome remained the same: the handover would be made to an empty chair.
SA: ‘We are a sovereign country – we will not bend rules for one nation’
Magwenya rejected suggestions that South Africa was taking an aggressive stance, defing the decision as being rooted in diplomatic principle.
“It’s not a bold move. It’s a position of principle. America chose to boycott the summit, that is their prerogative. But what cannot happen is a breach of protocol being forced down our throats. We are a sovereign country.”
He noted the importance of respecting all G20 members and participating regional blocs, especially given the inclusion of the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU).
“You have northern countries, the G20, plus the AU, plus the EU. We can’t bend the rules for one country. We need to respect the countries that have been part of the process, who worked tirelessly to make sure this G20 is the success it is now, even with the adoption of the declaration.”
He added that South Africa “cannot be held back by one country acting on its own rules”.
‘Time is not on our side’
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa opened the first-ever G20 Leaders’ Summit on African soil with a message anchored in symbolism and urgency, telling world leaders gathered in Johannesburg that the moment “carries the hopes and aspirations of an entire continent”.
He framed Africa not as a backdrop, but as the birthplace of humanity and a fitting setting to confront shared global crises.
“We gather here,” he said, “to affirm our common humanity and to find common solutions to shared problems”.
He reminded delegates of Nelson Mandela’s words in 1994, when the democratic dawn was approaching.
“The time has come for South Africa to take up its rightful and responsible place in the community of nations,” Mandela said.
Ramaphosa told the summit: “Today, that responsibility rests heavily on us.”
He emphasised South Africa’s duty as G20 president, noting its stewardship of more than 130 meetings worldwide.
“We have sought at all times to preserve the integrity and stature of the G20,” he said, calling it “the premier forum of international economic cooperation”.
Setting the tone for the summit, Ramaphosa said South Africa deliberately chose the theme Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability because global progress depends on it.
“In an interconnected world, the challenges faced by one nation affect all nations,” he said.
Disparities in wealth and development are unjust, unsustainable and one of the greatest impediments to growth.
— President Cyril Ramaphosa
He was clear that embedding African and Global South priorities in the G20 agenda was not charity, it was strategic.
“This is vital for global stability and security,” he warned.
“Thriving economies lift people out of poverty and generate the revenue needed to invest in public goods.”
Ramaphosa painted a stark picture of global threats, climate disasters, economic shocks, pandemics, unemployment, inequality and conflict, saying these dangers “jeopardise our collective future”.
He urged leaders to speed up progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: “We must make greater and faster progress. Time is not on our side.”
On global financing, he welcomed the Sevilla Commitment but insisted reforms must go further.
We must continue to reform the international financial architecture, so institutions are stronger, more inclusive and equipped for the future.
— President Cyril Ramaphosa
South Africa’s four G20 priorities – disaster resilience, debt sustainability, climate finance for a just energy transition, and critical minerals beneficiation – were presented as urgent and interlinked.
“Climate disasters strike hardest those who can least afford to rebuild,” he said.
On minerals, he was firm: “We must ensure value is created where minerals are extracted.”
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He praised the Africa Expert Panel led by Trevor Manuel and the Global Inequality Committee led by Joseph Stiglitz, saying their work “provides a solid platform for renewed global effort”.
As he concluded, Ramaphosa warned that the significance of hosting the G20 in Africa must not be diluted.
“We should not allow anything to diminish the value, stature or impact of the first African G20 Presidency.”
And with the adoption of the summit declaration, he delivered his final promise: “It sends a message of hope and solidarity. It tells the world that we will leave no person, no community and no country behind.”
