German envoy urges US to rethink South Africa’s G20 exclusion

German envoy urges US to rethink South Africa’s G20 exclusion

Germany has entered the growing diplomatic row over the exclusion of South Africa from next year’s G20 summit, as Berlin’s envoy in Pretoria publicly urged engagement with Washington.

Speaking on Newzroom Afrika, German Ambassador Andreas Peschke said Berlin was “actively engaging the United States” after United States confirmed that South Africa will be barred from the 2026 G20 leaders’ summit in Miami and from the key Sherpas-level meeting scheduled for December.

Peschke argued that South Africa which hosted a widely praised G20 summit in Johannesburg this year remains “an important actor at an important forum like the G20.” He stressed that Africa, represented by South Africa, must have a seat at the global table.

His remarks echo those from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has reportedly vowed to press US leaders to invite South Africa to the 2026 summit, warning that a G20 without full African representation would weaken the forum.

South Africa’s exclusion triggered by Washington’s refusal to participate in the Johannesburg summit and its rejection of Pretoria’s post-summit agenda has drawn sharp criticism from Pretoria, which calls the US decision based on “false and misleading white genocide claims.”

With Germany actively calling for renewed engagement, the dispute threatens to deepen a wider diplomatic rift between the US and a number of G20 members with far-reaching consequences for global cooperation on climate, debt relief and development issues previously championed by South Africa.