Trump says South Africa will be barred from next year’s G20

Donald Trump says that South Africa will be barred from next year’s G20 Summit in the United States – held at his own golf resort in Miami – as tensions between the countries spilled over in the wake of this year’s summit in Johannesburg.

Trump’s administration boycotted this month’s Summit following the president’s discredited allegations of the mass killing of white South Africans, making the US the only member state not to have a high-level presence in Johannesburg. 

The Summit went ahead regardless, with leaders from around the world signing up to a closing declaration which reflected President Cyril Ramaphosa’s agenda to promote the interests of Africa and emerging nations on a range of issues from debt to climate change and critical minerals.

South Africa’s increasingly assertive behavior throughout the summit – both in organising the leaders’ statement and refusing to complete the official G20 handover to a junior US official – has enraged the US president further.  

Writing on his “Truth Social” website, Trump again repeated his slurs that the South African government is killing white people – but also tied the ban to the handover protocol dispute. 

“At the conclusion of the G20, South Africa refused to hand off the G20 Presidency to a Senior Representative from our U.S. Embassy, who attended the Closing Ceremony. 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. South Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere, and we are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately.”

Next year’s G20 is scheduled to be held at Trump’s National Doral Miami golf resort, leading to allegations that the President is attempting to profit from the office.  

Ramaphosa hits back

In response, Ramaphosa insisted that the US has no right to bar South Africa from the multilateral forum and said that Trump “continues to apply punitive measures against South Africa based on misinformation and distortions.”

“South Africa is a member of the G20 in its own name and right. Its G20 membership is at the behest of all other members. South Africa is a sovereign constitutional democratic country and does not appreciate insults from another country about its membership and worth in participating in global platforms.

“South Africa will continue to participate as a full, active and constructive member of the G20. We call on members of the G20 to reaffirm its continued operation in the spirit of multilateralism, based on consensus, with all members participating on an equal footing in all of its structures.”

Regarding the handover dispute, Ramaphosa said that instruments of the G20 Presidency were “duly handed over” to a US embassy official at the headquarters of South Africa’s department of international relations and cooperation. Ramaphosa also highlighted that US businesses and civil society organisations had “participated in large numbers” in G20-related activities like the B20, its official business forum.

In a post on X, Clayson Monyela, South Africa’s head of public diplomacy, said the G20 itself was at risk if Trump’s threats are allowed to materialise. 

“#SouthAfrica is a founding member of the G20. We don’t get invited to G20 meetings & leaders summit. Those are gatherings of members. If other members allow this, then the G20 will die. SA is a G20 Troika member (outgone, current & incoming Presidency).”