Tensions Rise as South Africa Responds to Trump's G20 Exclusion

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has described as regrettable the announcement by US President Donald Trump that South Africa would not be invited to participate in next year's G20 summit in Florida.

In a social media post, Trump stated that South Africa had refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a US embassy representative during last week's summit in Johannesburg. Therefore, at my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20, which will be hosted in the Great City of Miami, Florida next year, Trump claimed.

While G20 members technically do not require an invitation to attend, visa restrictions could prevent South Africa's participation. Trump's absence from the Johannesburg summit was due to a widely discredited claim regarding the treatment of white South Africans.

Ramaphosa remarked that the United States was expected to participate in the G20 meetings, but chose not to attend out of its own volition. Some US businesses and civil society representatives were present at the summit. He clarified that the handover of G20 presidency was conducted appropriately with a US Embassy official.

This incident appears to have further exacerbated tensions between the two countries. Trump has previously made controversial statements about South African policies, alleging that a genocide against white people was ongoing. The South African government has strongly refuted such assertions as unfounded.

Ramaphosa expressed disappointment that despite efforts to reset bilateral relations, Trump continues to impose punitive measures against South Africa due to misinformation. In his post, Trump also called for an immediate stop to all payments and subsidies to South Africa, suggesting the nation was not worthy of international cooperation.

Officials in South Africa are urging solidarity among G20 members and defending the integrity of the group in light of Trump's remarks. The G20 summit in Johannesburg concluded with a commitment to multilateral cooperation on pressing global issues, despite objections from the US.