Ramaphosa Defies Trump’s Ultimatum to Exclude South Africa from the 2026 G20 Gathering
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday firmly brushed aside U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning that Pretoria could be excluded from the G20 gathering next year, underscoring that South Africa remains a founding and indispensable participant in the bloc.
The United States opted out of the leaders’ summit convened in Johannesburg from November 22 to 23 under South Africa’s chairmanship, with Trump once again asserting — claims that have been widely debunked — that the Black-led government targets the country’s white minority.
Earlier in the week, Trump declared that South Africa would be barred from the upcoming Florida summit, alleging that Pretoria had refused to transfer the G20 presidency to a senior U.S. embassy official who attended the closing session. South African authorities countered that the rotating leadership was formally passed to an American diplomatic representative as required.
“South Africa remains a committed, influential, and constructive participant in the G20,” Ramaphosa stated in a national address.
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He further condemned as “deliberate falsehoods” Trump’s repeated assertions that the government is carrying out “genocide against Afrikaners” — descendants of Dutch settlers — or unlawfully seizing land from white citizens.
Ramaphosa emphasized that, despite the diplomatic tensions, American companies and civic organizations participated robustly in G20-related engagements during the Johannesburg summit.
“We appreciate those productive relationships and will continue to engage through the G20 platform,” he affirmed, signalling Pretoria’s determination to preserve open channels of communication.
Source: Araba Sey
