What South Africa’s G7 disinvitation could mean

South Africa’s invitation to attend the G7 summit in June has been withdrawn, sparking public disagreements. Last week, the country disclosed that France had disinvited it from the G7. French President Emmanuel Macron personally invited South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during last year’s G20 summit in Pretoria, where he spoke of Paris’s commitment to multilateralism.

South Africa was supposed to attend the event as an observer country, along with India, Brazil and South Korea.

However, last week, a spokesperson for Mr Ramaphosa, Vincent Magwenya, announced that the invitation had been withdrawn due to US pressure, barely three days before the event and a day after news of Kenya’s invitation broke.

The BBC reported that Mr Magwenya confirmed that the French government had informed South Africa that it had been disinvited due to a US threat to boycott the event.

He said, “The invitation was withdrawn by the French government due to sustained pressure from the US. That’s the communication we received from the French government.

“They couldn’t risk missing a key member of the G7, hence the withdrawal of their invitation.”

France, however, denied being influenced by external pressure, stating that Kenya’s invitation was instead ahead of Mr Macron’s visit to the country later this year.

Later, Mr Ramaphosa tried to downplay the situation by insinuating that South Africa’s exclusion was unsurprising as it is not a member of the bloc.

“The invitation to the G7 does not mean that you’re being snubbed if you’re not invited or you’re being ignored,” he said.

US feud with South Africa

South Africa’s relations with the US have grown more complex and strained since President Donald Trump returned to the white House. In early 2025, Mr Trump falsely accused the country of “white genocide.”

Mr Trump alleged that numerous white South African farmers are being brutally murdered over land ownership — a claim South Africa repeatedly denied. He also suspended assistance to the country and admitted 59 white South Africans as refugees.

Shortly after, South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled for describing Mr Trump’s movement as mobilising a “supremacist instinct” and “white victimhood.”

The rift between the countries coloured Pretoria’s G20 presidency throughout the year. The US boycotted the G20 summit after Mr Trump said “it was a disgrace” to have Johannesburg host it. He also accused the country of mistreating the US Embassy representative at the summit and, as a consequence, the US would not be inviting the country to this year’s G20 summit, which he plans to host at his Doral golf club in Miami.

This precarious relationship predates the current administration. However, over time, it has been shaped by South Africa’s strong criticism of Israel and its ties with the BRICS, which include Russia and China.

South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice has also been a major bone of contention.

While signs of shaky relations have been evident for several years, Pretoria’s stance on certain issues has strained ties with Washington, according to Priyal Singh, a senior researcher with the Institute for Security Studies.

She states that South Africa views the US as a hegemon that “sometimes abuses its dominant global position, flouting the international rules-based order it purports to champion.”

This contrasts with Kenya’s relationship with the US, which has seen the signing of a health agreement and a $750,000 investment in a naval base over the past year.

What must South Africa do?

Experts say the G7 disinvitation is symptomatic of the rift between the US and South Africa and is a direct response to South Africa’s stance on multiple conflicts and wars, including Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, and US/Israel-Iran.

Some say that the US’s involvement in the G7 disinvitation is undeniable.

Kingsley Makhubela, an International Relations expert, said the disinvitation of the country constitutes a sub.

Mr Makhubela, former South African ambassador to Portugal, refers to it as a case of “diplomatic bullying,” which France cannot oppose, given that the “US is a big and useful power within the G7.” The selection of Kenya, which has been making “questionable decisions” in recent times, such as support for Somaliland, raises an eyebrow.

He argued that this is quite characteristic of the US and cited the eleventh-hour disinvitation of Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, from the World Economic Forum.

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But Babafemi Badejo, a foreign policy analyst, said Kenya’s invitation cannot be questioned because France, as the summit host, has the sovereign right to decide which African country is invited.

Mr Badejo argued that Kenya’s invitation should be seen separately from South Africa’s, except for the US influence, which, he noted, France will never acknowledge.

“South Africa is not a G7 country and France, through consultations with its members, has the right to decide which countries are invited,” said Mr Badejo, a professor of Political Science and International Relations at Chrisland University.

Analysts have argued that an invitation to the summit is not a foreign policy priority for South Africa, and that it should instead focus on sustaining bilateral relations that serve its interests.

Matthew Parks, a South African foreign policy expert, affirmed that Pretoria’s invitation was subject to the decision of G7 members, while stating that the “onus really is upon the French to explain what occurred.”

He insisted that a country’s foreign affairs must centre on economic growth and the advancement of trade and investment.

“What is really critical in the international field is the international investment summit held last week [sic] in South Africa, aimed at attracting investment from the US, Europe, China, and across the African continent,” he said.

Some other analysts are also of the opinion that South Africa’s interest in sustaining relations with France and the US led Mr Ramaphosa to downplay the situation.