US President Donald Trump said South Africa will not be invited to the 2026 G20 summit in Miami, citing accusations that Pretoria has failed to address alleged human rights abuses against Afrikaners. In his Truth Social post, Trump stated that the United States skipped this year’s G20 in Johannesburg because the South African government “refuses to acknowledge or address” the mistreatment of white minorities, adding that farms were being taken and violence ignored. He also criticised the US media for not condemning what he described as a “genocide.”
Trump mentioned that at the end of the Johannesburg summit, South Africa did not hand over the G20 presidency to a senior representative from the US Embassy, prompting his decision to block the country’s participation in 2026. “South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20,” Trump stated. He further added that Washington would immediately halt “all payments and subsidies” to Pretoria.
South Africa rejects claims
South African officials strongly pushed back, as per a Reuters report. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office termed Trump’s post “regrettable”, saying the official handover took place with a US Embassy representative because no senior American delegation participated in the closing ceremony. Officials restated that South Africa does not have a policy to seize land from white farmers. They have also denied allegations of targeted violence.
The tension grew earlier this year when Trump hosted Ramaphosa at the White House and showed a video supporting his claims. South African officials rejected the footage as misleading, as per NBC News. The report also mentioned that Elon Musk intensified similar genocide allegations online, adding to domestic friction.
Diplomatic rift widens after the US boycott of the Johannesburg summit
This year’s G20 declaration was adopted despite US objections, with Washington later blaming South Africa of “weaponising” its presidency. Reuters added that Trump had already ordered a reduction in financial assistance to South Africa earlier in the year. He had cited disagreements over land policy and Pretoria’s genocide case against US ally Israel at the International Court of Justice.
With the 2026 summit set for Trump National Doral in Miami, Trump’s announcement marks a major escalation in already-strained ties.
