By South African President Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed on Sunday U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to exclude Pretoria from next year’s G20 summit, reaffirming South Africa’s status as a founding member of the group.
The diplomatic tension follows Washington’s decision to boycott the G20 Leaders’ Summit hosted by South Africa in Johannesburg from November 22–23. President Trump had revived widely debunked accusations that South Africa’s Black-majority government persecutes white citizens, alleging “genocide against Afrikaners” and unlawful land expropriation—claims consistently dismissed by independent observers, analysts, and global institutions.
Last Wednesday, Trump further declared that South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 G20 Summit scheduled to be held in Florida, accusing Pretoria of refusing to hand over the rotating presidency to a senior U.S. representative at the conclusion of the Johannesburg summit. However, South African officials have maintained that the presidency was formally and correctly transferred to the designated U.S. embassy official present at the ceremony.
In his State of the Nation Address, President Ramaphosa reaffirmed South Africa’s position unequivocally.
“South Africa is and will remain a full, active, and constructive member of the G20,” he stated.
He also described as “blatant misinformation” Trump’s repeated claims that South Africa was committing “genocide against Afrikaners” – descendants of Dutch settlers – and confiscating land from white citizens. Ramaphosa noted that despite the diplomatic rift, U.S. businesses and civil society groups engaged actively in G20-related events in Johannesburg in November.
He observed that these continued interactions reflect the deeper, longstanding ties between both nations—ties that South Africa remains committed to nurturing.
“We value those constructive ties and will continue to work within the G20 framework,” Ramaphosa said, signaling Pretoria’s clear intent to maintain dialogue and uphold multilateral cooperation despite the recent rift.
