Johannesburg, Nov 15 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed that the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) Leaders' Meeting will proceed as planned despite the United States' decision not to participate.
Speaking in Kliptown, Johannesburg, Ramaphosa said South Africa is ready to welcome world leaders and deliver a successful meeting. "The summit will go on. We are not going to stop because they are not here," he said, adding that most G20 leaders have confirmed their attendance.
Ramaphosa noted that US President Donald Trump had withdrawn all US representatives, citing allegations of ill-treatment of Afrikaners and "genocide."
Stressing "boycott politics never work," he said, "If you boycott an event or a process, you lose because the show will go on."
On Thursday, South African Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said that the country's G20 presidency will remain impactful and successful despite the United States' decision not to attend the upcoming G20 Leaders' Meeting.
Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital, Ntshavheni emphasised that the absence of the US President will not "diminish" the importance or influence of the gathering, which brings together the world's major economies.
"Their absence is not unique to South Africa. It does not change anything. It does not diminish our work," she said, noting that other world leaders had confirmed their readiness to attend the summit, Xinhua news agency reported.
Her remarks came after US President Donald Trump announced that his country would not participate in the summit and that South Africa should not be in the G20 at all.
Ntshavheni also highlighted the work her country has done since assuming the G20 presidency from Brazil in December last year. "South Africa has hosted 130 preparatory meetings, which were incident-free, and used the opportunity to showcase the diversity of our provinces and tourism destinations," she said.
As the G20 Leaders' Summit is set to take place on November 22 and 23 in Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city and economic hub, the minister said the cabinet is confident in the preparations and security arrangements.
"Comprehensive safety and security plans for the Leaders' Summit and the Social Summit are being managed and coordinated by the relevant security structures," she said.
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