US Pressured France To Withdraw Ramaphosa’s G7 Invite – Pretoria

The South African government has alleged that the United States pressured France to withdraw an invitation extended to President Cyril Ramaphosa to attend the upcoming G7 summit scheduled for June in the French town of Evian.

The claim was made on Thursday by presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, who disclosed that Washington threatened to boycott the summit if South Africa participated.

“We’ve learnt that due to sustained pressure, France has had to withdraw its invitation to South Africa to attend the G7 meeting,” Magwenya told AFP.

“We are told that the Americans threatened to boycott the G7 if South Africa was invited,” he added.

“So, South Africa will not be participating in this G7 meeting.”

The development marks a further deterioration in diplomatic relations between Pretoria and Washington, following months of tensions over several issues, including South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and controversial remarks by US President Donald Trump on South Africa’s domestic policies.

Trump has repeatedly criticised the South African government, including claims that white Afrikaners are being persecuted—an allegation widely dismissed by authorities in Pretoria.

The US leader had earlier imposed 30 per cent tariffs on most South African exports—the highest in sub-Saharan Africa—though the policy was later overturned by the US Supreme Court.

Washington has also taken issue with South Africa’s racial justice policies, introduced to address inequalities stemming from colonialism and apartheid, which Trump described as discriminatory against white citizens.

Diplomatic friction further escalated after South Africa instituted legal proceedings against Israel over alleged genocide in Gaza, a move opposed by the US.

Despite the tensions, Pretoria maintains that its bilateral relations with France remain intact.

“This will have no impact on the strength and close nature of our bilateral relationship with France,” Magwenya said.

“Notwithstanding all of these developments, South Africa remains committed to engage constructively with the US.

“The diplomatic relationship between USA and South Africa predates the Trump administration and they will outlive the current White House term of office.”

The row also follows South Africa’s exclusion from recent G20 engagements under the US rotating presidency, after Washington boycotted the G20 summit held in Johannesburg last November.

Magwenya recalled that French President Emmanuel Macron had personally invited Ramaphosa to the G7 during that G20 meeting.

South Africa had similarly been invited to participate in the 2025 G7 summit hosted by Canada, alongside other partner countries such as Brazil, India and South Korea.

Earlier this month, Pretoria summoned the new US ambassador over what it described as “undiplomatic remarks” concerning South Africa’s racial policies and judicial decisions.

In his first public address, the envoy, Brent Bozell, criticised an apartheid-era chant—“Kill the Boer, kill the farmer”—labelling it as hate speech and condemning empowerment policies for black South Africans.

However, South African courts have ruled that the chant does not constitute hate speech when considered within the historical context of the anti-apartheid struggle.

The ambassador later appeared to soften his stance, affirming that the US respects the independence of South Africa’s judiciary.

Diplomatic tensions had earlier resulted in the expulsion of South Africa’s ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, after he criticised Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.

A replacement is yet to be appointed.

Magwenya, however, noted that President Ramaphosa is close to naming a new envoy.

“Ramaphosa was getting closer to appointing the South African ambassador to the US who will form part of the team that’s currently engaging with US counterparts,” he said.