South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has been disinvited from the upcoming G7 summit in Evian following pressure from the United States, according to the South African presidency.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said France withdrew the invitation after what he described as sustained pressure from Donald Trump’s administration.
“We’ve learnt that due to sustained pressure, France has had to withdraw its invitation to South Africa to attend the G7 meeting,” Magwenya said. “We are told that the Americans threatened to boycott the G7 if South Africa was invited,” he added.
Tensions between Washington and Pretoria have grown in recent months, with Trump criticising South Africa’s policies on trade and race, including claims about a “white genocide”, allegations widely dismissed by experts. The US also imposed tariffs of up to 30 percent on South African exports, though the policy was later overturned by the Supreme Court.
Relations have further been strained by South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the war in Gaza, as well as broader geopolitical disagreements.
Despite the development, Magwenya downplayed the diplomatic impact. “This will have no impact on the strength and close nature of our bilateral relationship with France,” he said.
“Notwithstanding all of these developments, South Africa remains committed to engage constructively with the US. The diplomatic relationship between USA and South Africa predate the Trump administration and they will outlive the current White House term of office.”
