President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa will continue to play a full, active and constructive role in the G20 despite the United States announcing it will not invite the country to next year’s summit.
Addressing the nation on Sunday night following the conclusion of the G20 summit in Johannesburg, Ramaphosa responded to US President Donald Trump’s declaration that South Africa would not receive an invitation to the 2026 gathering in Miami, Florida.
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Trump made the announcement on Wednesday night on his social media platform, adding that the US would “stop all payments and subsidies with immediate effect.”
US Claims Spark Diplomatic Tension Between Pretoria and Washington
Trump’s remarks stemmed from South Africa’s decision not to symbolically pass the G20 presidency to a senior US Embassy representative at the end of the Johannesburg summit.
He further claimed the US skipped the event because South Africa failed to acknowledge what he described as “the horrific human rights abuses” faced by Afrikaners and other descendants of European settlers.
He went on to allege that white South Africans were being killed and their farms “randomly” seized—claims the South African government has rejected.
“It is regrettable that the US, which is a founding member of the G20 and which takes over the Presidency of the G20 from South Africa in 2026, chose not to participate in the G20 Leaders’ Summit and the final meetings leading up to it.
“It is even more unfortunate that the reasons the US gave for its non-participation were based on baseless and false allegations that South Africa is perpetrating genocide against Afrikaners and the confiscation of land from white people,” Ramaphosa said, calling the claims blatant misinformation.
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South Africa Reaffirms G20 Standing Amid Rising Political Pressure
Ramaphosa emphasised that many US organisations, businesses and individuals actively took part in G20-linked engagements, including the Business 20 Summit and the G20 Social Summit, noting their “constructive and enthusiastic participation.”
“Earlier this week, we formally handed over the G20 Presidency for 2026 to the US, observing the appropriate diplomatic protocols,” he said. Ramaphosa added that Trump had “repeated untrue statements about genocide against Afrikaners and the confiscation of land from white people in our country.”
He stressed that South Africa is a founding G20 member and participates “in its own name and right.”
“Despite the challenges and misunderstandings that have arisen, South Africa remains a firm and unwavering friend of the American people,” Ramaphosa said. He reflected on the historic US solidarity movement during South Africa’s struggle for democracy, adding, “We offer the people of the United States nothing but goodwill and friendship.”
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Trump, who has accused South Africa of “white genocide” since beginning his second term in January, has also frozen US funding for programmes like PEPFAR and USAID.
The move followed South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in December 2024. He additionally imposed a 30% “reciprocal” tariff on South African exports.
Ramaphosa said South Africa would continue engaging the US “with respect and dignity as equal sovereign countries,” and warned that local and international actors spreading disinformation were “endangering and undermining South Africa’s national interests.”
He reaffirmed that South Africa remains a constitutional democracy with a Bill of Rights guaranteeing equality.
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