Cabinet Rejects US Bid to Exclude South Africa from 2026 G20; Eskom Posts R24.3bn Profit
PRETORIA, 5 December 2025. South Africa's Cabinet on Friday expressed regret over United States intentions to exclude South Africa from participation in the 2026 G20 cycle, including the upcoming G20 Sherpa meeting, describing the development as a departure from the multilateral principles that...
Cabinet Rejects US Bid to Exclude South Africa from 2026 G20; Eskom Posts R24.3bn Profit
PRETORIA, 5 December 2025. South Africa's Cabinet on Friday expressed regret over United States intentions to exclude South Africa from participation in the 2026 G20 cycle, including the upcoming G20 Sherpa meeting, describing the development as a departure from the multilateral principles that underpin the group, while affirming that South Africa's commitment as a founding member of the G20 "remain unwavering."
The Cabinet statement did not specify the grounds cited by Washington for the proposed exclusion but came weeks after the Trump administration boycotted the G20 Leaders' Summit held in Johannesburg on 22-23 November 2025. South Africa holds a seat in the G20 as the only African full member of the grouping and has been a founding participant since the body was established in 1999. The 2026 G20 presidency has passed to the United States.
At the same meeting, Cabinet welcomed Eskom's financial and operational results for the first six months of the current financial year, ending September 2025. The state power utility reported a profit after tax of R24.3 billion, 37% higher than the equivalent period in 2024, and confirmed it had delivered consistent electricity supply with only four days of load shedding during the period, compared with hundreds of load-shedding days in previous years. Electricity supply reliability was reported at 98% year to date.
Cabinet also noted continued GDP growth for a fourth consecutive quarter in Q3 2025, driven by gains in mining, agriculture, and services, and confirmed government support for the findings of the Q3 Quarterly Labour Force Survey showing a 1.3 percentage-point reduction in the official unemployment rate to 31.9%.
South Africa's relationship with the United States has been under strain in 2025, with disputes arising from South Africa's position in the International Court of Justice proceedings brought against Israel over conduct in Gaza, land reform legislation, and the country's participation in the BRICS grouping. Washington had previously threatened bilateral consequences over several of these matters.
The G20, established in 1999, comprises 19 major economies plus the European Union and the African Union. South Africa is the only individual African state that is a full member of the group.