South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has described as “regrettable” the recent statement by United States President Donald Trump declaring that South Africa will not be allowed to attend the G20 summit scheduled for next year in Miami, Florida. Trump made the announcement on social media, claiming that South Africa had refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a representative of the United States at the summit held in Johannesburg last week. According to Trump, South Africa’s alleged refusal justified his decision to block the country from the 2026 G20 event. He said that at his instruction, South Africa would not receive an invitation, even though participation in the G20 does not actually require a formal invitation. Member states cannot easily be removed but could face visa restrictions that prevent them from entering the host country. Vincent Magwenya, the spokesperson for South Africa’s president, responded by saying that the country must now recognise that there will be no improvement in the strained relationship between South Africa and the United States. He added that South Africa had made repeated efforts to rebuild trust, but these attempts had not been successful. Magwenya said that if visas were denied, South Africa would simply move forward and focus on other international engagements rather than depend on a summit hosted in the United States.
US Won’t Invite South Africa to G20, Trump Says; Nation Responds
He explained that South Africa remains committed to cooperating with other G20 partners, particularly on the issues discussed during the Johannesburg meeting. South Africa believes that these priorities should continue to guide the group’s progress in the coming year. Trump did not attend the Johannesburg summit, choosing instead to boycott it. His absence was linked to his belief in a widely challenged claim that South Africa’s white population is being targeted through killings and farm seizures. The South African government has repeatedly rejected these claims as inaccurate and unsupported by credible evidence. President Ramaphosa noted that the United States delegation was expected to take part in G20 activities but chose not to attend the leaders gathering. He clarified that because the delegation was missing, the presidency documents were handed over to an official from the United States Embassy at the headquarters of South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
This low profile handover triggered further criticism from Trump, who has frequently expressed strong disapproval of several South Africa domestic and foreign policies. On Wednesday, Trump repeated his claims that white citizens in South Africa were being killed and that their land was being taken, statements the South African government has consistently dismissed. Ramaphosa said it was unfortunate that despite South Africa’s efforts to repair ties, Trump continued to impose punitive actions based on misinformation. In his social media post, Trump went further, declaring that South Africa was unworthy of membership in international bodies and announcing an immediate halt to payments and subsidies directed to the country. South African officials have urged other G20 members to uphold the principles of fairness and equality within the group. They called for unity in defending the rights of all member states and emphasized that South Africa remains committed to multilateral cooperation. The Johannesburg summit concluded with a declaration on addressing climate challenges and global economic inequality, although the United States raised objections and accused South Africa of misusing its leadership role.
source:BBC
