South Africa finally hands over G20 Presidency to the U.S. in quiet diplomatic exchange

The transfer, held on Tuesday at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in Pretoria, took place without the usual ceremony that typically accompanies a presidency handover, marking a notable departure from tradition.

Zane Dangor, South Africa’s G20 sherpa and DIRCO’s Director-General, said on Monday that Pretoria and Washington had mutually agreed to keep the event low-profile and deliberately modest.

He noted that the restrained approach aligned with the wishes of both governments, which preferred to avoid a high-profile occasion that could draw unwanted media attention or spark diplomatic tension.

As a result, the exchange was conducted solely between a senior DIRCO official and the U.S. chargé d’affaires, rather than involving heads of state.

The quiet handover followed a tense diplomatic backdrop, driven by disagreements over the appropriate level of U.S. representation at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg.

South Africa had raised concerns over Washington’s plan to send its chargé d’affaires to stand in for President Donald Trump or another senior envoy during the symbolic gavel-passing ceremony.

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya affirmed the government’s position over the weekend, describing the expectation that President Cyril Ramaphosa should hand over to a lower-ranking diplomat as a breach of protocol “that is not going to be accommodated or allowed.”

Although the United States remained entitled to participate fully in the summit and lead discussions as the new G20 chair, the compromise was to shift the handover to a separate, low-key setting.

This solution avoided a potential public protocol clash while still enabling Washington to assume its role as the incoming G20 presidency.

Diplomats on both sides described the arrangement as a practical resolution that preserved bilateral respect and ensured the continuity of leadership within the G20 framework.