France withdraws South Africa’s invitation to G7 Summit following pressure from US

France on Thursday, March 26, disinvited South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa from the G7 summit in the French town of Evian in June due to pressure from the United States (U.S).

South Africa has faced months of pressure from U.S president Donald Trump on issues from trade to race relations.

“We’ve learnt that due to sustained pressure, France has had to withdraw its invitation to South Africa to attend the G7 meeting,” Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson to the president, said.

“We are told that the Americans threatened to boycott the G7 if South Africa was invited.”

Trump has clashed repeatedly with the South African government, hitting the country with high tariffs, berating Ramaphosa in the Oval Office over discredited claims of a “white genocide,” and boycotting a G20 summit in Johannesburg in November.

Trump slapped 30-percent tariffs last year on most South African exports, the highest for sub-Saharan Africa.

The U.S supreme court has since overruled Trump’s tariff policy.

The U.S president has also criticised South Africa’s racial justice policies, enacted to address historic inequalities left by the legacy of colonial rule and apartheid, but condemned by the American leader as discriminatory against whites.

The Trump administration has additionally clashed with Ramaphosa’s government over South Africa taking U.S ally Israel to the International Court of Justice for committing genocide in its war in Gaza.

Pretoria recalled that during the G20 in South Africa, French president Emmanuel Macron personally invited Ramaphosa to take part in the G7.

The Group of Seven industrialised nations often widens its work to invite other countries.

“This will have no impact on the strength and close nature of our bilateral relationship with France,” the presidency spokesperson said.

“Notwithstanding all of these developments, South Africa remains committed to engaging constructively with the U.S.

“The diplomatic relationship between the USA and South Africa predates the Trump administration, and they will outlive the current White House term of office.”