South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to bar Pretoria from next year’s G20 summit, reaffirming South Africa’s position as a founding member of the group.
Trump had indicated last week that South Africa would not be invited to the G20 summit in Florida in 2026, citing claims that the country refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a senior U.S. embassy official at the closing ceremony of the Johannesburg summit in November. South African authorities, however, said the rotating presidency was duly transferred to the U.S. representative.
Addressing the nation, Ramaphosa said, “South Africa is and will remain a full, active and constructive member of the G20.” He also denounced Trump’s allegations that South Africa is committing “genocide against Afrikaners” and confiscating land from white citizens, calling them “blatant misinformation.”
The South African leader highlighted that, despite the diplomatic tensions, U.S. businesses and civil society groups actively participated in G20-related events in Johannesburg last month. “We value those constructive ties and will continue to work within the G20 framework,” Ramaphosa added, signaling Pretoria’s commitment to ongoing engagement with global partners.
