Will the G-20 Summit Become a Battle for US-South Africa Relations?

In November 2025, South Africa will host the G-20 Summit in Johannesburg. There is a serious risk that the event will become a platform for a new round of confrontation between the Ramaphosa administration and the African National Congress on one side and the Trump administration on the other. For that reason, the public must have a better understanding of South Africa and the United States to the precipice of a breakdown in bilateral relations. Joining FPRI trustee and Africa Program Chair Ambassador Charles Ray, who will moderate a discussion on the issue, is a distinguished group of individuals with extensive knowledge of South African affairs. The panel will be composed of Judd Devermont of CSIS, Joshua Meservey of the Hudson Institute, Joel Pollak of Breitbart News Network, Redi Tlhabi of the Daily Maverick, and  Michael Walsh a senior fellow of FPRI.

Speakers:

Judd Devermont - Judd Devermont is an operating partner at Kupanda Capital and senior adviser (non-resident) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Joshua Meservey - Joshua Meservey is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute where he focuses on great power competition in Africa, African geopolitics, and counterterrorism.

Joel Pollak - Joel Pollak is Senior Editor-at-large and in-house counsel at Breitbart News.

Redi Tlhabi - Redi Tlhabi holds a BA in Political Economy and English Literature from Wits University.

Michael Walsh - Michael Walsh is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Africa Program.

Charles A. Ray - Charles A. Ray, a member of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Africa Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, served as US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Republic of Zimbabwe. ; Moderator