The United States used Thursday’s Group of 20 foreign ministers’ meeting to attack the forum, accusing it of drifting from its economic mission towards social issues and dashing South Africa’s hopes that US President Donald Trump would attend its annual summit in November. Rather than embracing the Johannesburg gathering – the first on African soil since the G20’s founding in 1999 – Washington dismissed it as a distraction, saying its focus is on 2026, when it will host the forum and drive it “back to basics”.
Sam Busa