“There's no diplomatic problem with the US, as far as I know,” Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has said during a pre-World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting breakfast, in Johannesburg, on December 8.

His statement comes despite well-publicised diplomatic tensions between South Africa and the US that have plagued President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration ever since US President Donald Trump took office in February.

Since then, the US has taken numerous actions against the South African government, indicating that there are clearly diplomatic problems afoot.

Among other actions, the US has implemented 30% tariffs on all South African imports to the US, stopped all funding and aid to South Africa, moved Congressional Bills and other measures calling for a review of bilateral ties and which permit the identification of South African officials who could be sanctioned for actions ranging from alleged fraud and corruption to alleged involvement with rogue nations and terrorist regimes.

The US has also rolled out a refugee programme for South Africans of ethnic minority descent fleeing purported persecution based on race, ejected former South African ambassador to the US Ebrahim Rasool from the US and declared him persona non grata, put forward proposals and legislative moves that could exclude South Africa from African Growth and Opportunities Act-style benefits going forward, refused to attend the South Africa-hosted G20 Leaders’ Summit and denied South Africa a seat at the table in the upcoming G20, to be hosted in Miami, in the US, in 2026.

This is in addition to the numerous direct and scathing criticisms of the South African government and its policies coming from Trump himself in several social media posts and public statements, as well as from several key high-ranking US politicians, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and others.

Despite this, Godongwana offered a sanguine take on relations with the US.

“They are in the process of appointing their ambassador to South Africa. We are in a process of appointing an ambassador to the US. We are involved in intense negotiations on trade negotiations and those trade negotiations, by the way, are going very well.

“What is attracting people is a tiff with the US on what they call a genocide. As a result, they are not accrediting us for the [2026] G20 but it does not mean a necessary fallout with the US,” he said.

However, in a Substack post by Rubio on December 4, the term “genocide” was not mentioned.

Rubio accused the South African government of replacing “reconciliation with redistributionist policies that discouraged investment and drove South Africa’s most talented citizens abroad”. He also tackled racial quotas, the Expropriation Act, and criticised the South African government’s relationships with America’s adversaries and its G20 themes that focused on climate change, diversity and inclusion.

Despite Trump and Rubio both declaring that South Africa would not be welcomed at the next G20, Godongwana said South Africa would defer to the other G20 member States as to what its rejection for the upcoming summit would mean, indicating confidence that, at the very least, South Africa would resume its place at the G20 from 2027 onwards.

“It's up to the [G20] member States to decide what to do. As far as we are concerned, if we are excluded by the US in 2026, in 2027, the G20 Presidency will go to the UK and we will resume our seat in 2027,” he said.

Despite the ongoing challenges with the US, South Africa’s politicians are gearing up for the next WEF Annual Meeting in Davos on January 19 to 23 and are hoping to strike deals with other nations.

“Davos is about marketing and networking, and networking is a key element of having strategic discussion with key investors for investment opportunities in South Africa. So the message is that South Africa has turned the corner.

“All other indications – whether that's growth, whether that's anything else – everything is turning positive and, for that reason, we are becoming more and more of an attractive destination,” Godongwana stated.

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola told Engineering News that ongoing tensions with the US would not deter the South African delegation from engaging in multilateral trade negotiations in Davos next year.

“It’s a multilateral platform. I expect it to go well. Everyone will be there. I doubt there will be any platform for us to engage with the US on our bilateral relations. We don’t expect any interaction with them at all,” he said.

The breakfast took the form of a working group session attended by several government Ministers and business leaders who will be part of the delegation attending the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos.

In addition to Godongwana and Lamola, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau and Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams were in attendance.