South Africa has strongly rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s statements after he announced that Pretoria would not be invited to the 2026 G20 Summit in Miami. The decision followed Washington’s boycott of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, which Trump attributed to unfounded claims about human rights abuses against Afrikaners — accusations that have been widely discredited.
Pretoria dismissed the remarks as “regrettable” and based on misinformation, stressing that South Africa holds its G20 membership in its own right as a founding member. Officials said the country would not accept insults from any foreign leader and emphasized its commitment to consensus, cooperation, and multilateral engagement within the G20.
The dispute escalated after South Africa refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a U.S. diplomat during the summit’s closing ceremony, maintaining that such a transfer would violate established protocols. Trump responded by threatening to cut U.S. financial support to South Africa and barring its participation in the next summit.
Despite the political friction, President Cyril Ramaphosa remains committed to restoring stable relations and ensuring South Africa’s full participation in global forums. Officials urged all G20 members to uphold equal representation and resist unilateral punitive actions.
