US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that South Africa will not be invited to the 2026 G20 Summit in Miami, accusing the country’s government of failing to acknowledge what he described as alleged human rights violations against certain settlers.
In a statement posted on X, Trump linked the decision to what he said was the United States’ absence from the recent G20 Summit in Johannesburg while making a series of claims about violence in South Africa. He alleged that the South African government was overlooking attacks on white citizens.
Trump wrote, “To put it more bluntly, they are killing white people, and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them,” asserting that “Afrikaners, and other descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers” were facing human rights abuses.
Trump Criticizes G20 Presidency Handover
Trump also claimed that South Africa failed to transfer the G20 Presidency to a representative of the American Embassy, who he said attended the closing ceremony.
He added, “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.”
The United States notably did not attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit held last weekend in Johannesburg, nor did it send an official delegation.
South Africa Calls Trump’s Move ‘Regrettable’
Responding to the announcement, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called Trump’s decision “regrettable”, stating his administration had consistently worked to deepen diplomatic engagement with Washington.
South Africa’s Presidency also addressed Trump’s allegation regarding the G20 gavel handover, noting: “As the United States was not present at the summit, 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.”
Longstanding Debate Over Claims of White Persecution
Trump has repeatedly raised concerns about alleged persecution of white minorities in South Africa, including claims of a so-called “white genocide” involving farmers. These allegations have been repeatedly dismissed by the South African government and by leaders within the country’s white farming communities.
