Lamola said government is waiting for Trump to confirm his attendance.
International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) Minister Ronald Lamola says the process of appointing South Africa’s ambassador to the United States (US) is imminent.
Lamola briefed the media on Wednesday on recent developments relating to the implementation of South Africa’s foreign policy.
This comes after South Africa’s participation in key regional and multilateral forums, including the TICAD Summit held in Japan and the SADC Summit held in Madagascar.
Ebrahim Rasool
Lamola said despite months of tensions between the South African and US governments, there are still regular interactions between government officials.
He said that an ambassadorial appointment was imminent.
This follows the abrupt expulsion of former ambassador Ebrahim Rasool in March.
Rasool returned to South Africa in March after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expelled him and stripped him of his diplomatic privileges.
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Mcebisi Jonas
Lamola said that despite President Cyril Ramaphosa’s special envoy, Mcebisi Jonas, not having travelled to the United States,
Jonas’s appointment came after Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) in February, in which he said South Africa “would not be bullied” and that he would look to send special envoys to global capitols, including the US, to explain the country’s laws and policies to the international community.
Jonas, a former deputy finance minister, was not part of Ramaphosa’s delegation to meet US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office in May.
Special envoy
Lamola said Jonas’ job was not a permanent position, and there’s no intention to replace him.
“The role of a special envoy is not permanent. It’s a temporal process. What we are currently considering, and are almost at an advanced stage with, is the appointment of a permanent ambassador, and that will be done soon.”
ALSO READ: WATCH: SA should know what leverage it has on the US and act on it, Rasool says
G20 and Donald Trump
Lamola also said the G20 Leaders Summit in South Africa will proceed in November, regardless of whether the US President participates or not.
In May, Trump agreed that the US would participate in G20 events
The US president backtracked on his decision not to attend the G20 events after a bilateral meeting with Ramaphosa in which the two leaders discussed a range of trade and investment issues.
Land expropriation
In April, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, claiming that South Africa was confiscating land and committing genocide.
“How could we be expected to go to South Africa for the very important G20 meeting when land confiscation and genocide are the primary topics of conversation?
“They are taking the land of white farmers and then killing them and their families. The media refuses to report on this,” he said.
Waiting for Trump
Lamola said they are waiting for Trump to confirm his attendance.
“The last communication we had with him, he had confirmed that he would come when President Ramaphosa was at the White House. We have, however, noted and taken note of his comments that he may not come, and he may send somebody else,” Lamola said.
“From the South African government, the US government is invited to the G20 and President Trump is invited; he’s welcome to the G20, but it is the US government’s decision who they want to participate in the G20.
“If President Trump sends somebody else, it’s his decision. We will proceed with the G20 with or without President Trump, and with whoever that he will have delegated to come to G20 and we, will accept whoever that he delegates and who attends the G20 on behalf of the American people or on his behalf, and we think that we’ll still make South Africa G20 to move forward, to adopt an outcome document,” Lamola said.
‘Unpredictable’
Lamola said at this stage, no one can say with certainty whether Trump will come or not.
“It’s an unpredictable situation, so we will hear the final wait from the US as and when they decide. But whatever they decide, the G20 will proceed, and we will work with all the leaders that will be present to find an outcome.”
Lamola said it was unclear whether Chinese President Xi Jinping would attend the G20 Leaders summit despite being invited.
G20
The minister added that preparations for the G20 Leaders Summit are underway, with negotiations for working group ministerial meetings setting the tone for discussions.
Lamola will also provide an update on preparations for the G20 Leaders’ Summit, to be held in Johannesburg in November 2025.
Lamola said despite months of tensions with the US government, there were still regular interactions between government officials.
ALSO READ: Trump changes tune and ‘agrees’ to participate in G20 Summit, Ramaphosa says
