United States President Donald Trump has taken to social media to announce that South Africa will not be allowed to attend next year\u2019s Group of 20 (G20) intergovernmental forum in Miami, Florida.<\/p>\n
In Wednesday\u2019s post<\/a>, Trump renewed false claims that a white \u201cgenocide\u201d was unfolding in the African country.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n He also repeated his threat that South Africa would no longer receive funding from the US, a policy he put in place earlier this year.<\/p>\n \u201cSouth Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere,\u201d Trump wrote. \u201cWe are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n The message on Truth Social was the latest escalation in Trump\u2019s ongoing feud with South Africa, a country he has accused of \u201cshocking disregard\u201d for the rights of white Afrikaners.<\/p>\n Human rights experts agree there is no basis for Trump\u2019s claims of an Afrikaner genocide.<\/p>\n Yet, Trump has repeatedly cited such claims as he puts pressure on the government of his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa. He has also blamed the media for failing to carry his message.<\/p>\n \u201cThe South African Government refuses to acknowledge or address the horrific Human Right [sic] Abuses endured by Afrikaners, and other descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers,\u201d Trump wrote on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cTo put it more bluntly, they are killing white people, and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them. Perhaps, worst of all, the soon to be out of business New York Times and the Fake News Media won\u2019t issue a word against this genocide.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s latest comments come after an awkward diplomatic incident over the weekend, one that highlighted the increasingly fractious nature of US-South African relations.<\/p>\n In recent decades, the two countries have enjoyed largely amicable ties.<\/p>\n The US is South Africa\u2019s second largest single-country trading partner, behind China, and business between the two countries is valued at approximately $26.2bn, as of 2024.<\/p>\n But last weekend\u2019s G20 summit in the South African city of Johannesburg signalled how dramatically the relationship between the two countries had changed.<\/p>\n The summit was a big deal for Africa as a whole: It was the first time the continent had hosted the G20 leaders.<\/p>\n But while the US is typically a major presence at the G20, this time, the Trump administration decided to boycott the proceedings. Not only did Trump refuse to attend, but he also declined to send any top officials from Washington, DC, to the event.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,\u201d he wrote in a post<\/a> on November 7.<\/p>\n \u201cNo U.S. Government Official will attend as long as these Human Rights abuses continue.\u201d<\/p>\n The G20 has traditionally been a meeting ground for leaders from the European Union, the African Union and other major world economies to discuss technology, environmental initiatives and shared financial growth.<\/p>\n Next year, the summit is scheduled to take place in Miami. Traditionally, the host of the G20 summit closes the meeting by banging a gavel and then passing the little wooden hammer to officials from the next country to hold the meeting.<\/p>\n But on Sunday, Ramaphosa did not pass the gavel to anyone.<\/p>\n Trump confirmed reports on Wednesday that he had offered to send a member of the US Embassy to accept the gavel, but that the offer had been rejected by Ramaphosa\u2019s administration as a slight.<\/p>\n \u201cAt 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,\u201d Trump wrote. \u201cTherefore, at my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20.\u201d<\/p>\n Ramaphosa largely avoided addressing the US absence during the G20 conference, instead underscoring his push for global unity and efforts to combat inequality.<\/p>\n \u201cOur G20 Presidency has been rooted in the conviction that the world needs more solidarity, equality and sustainability,\u201d Ramaphosa wrote<\/a> on social media on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile some have sought to create division and polarisation between nations, we have reinforced our shared humanity. We have fostered collaboration and goodwill. Above all, we have affirmed that our shared goals outweigh our differences.\u201d<\/p>\n The increasingly hostile relations between South Africa and the US began early in Trump\u2019s second term as president.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n
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Passing the gavel<\/h2>\n
Heightened tensions<\/h2>\n