International/ Donald Trump bars South Africa from US G20, citing diplomatic snub
US President Donald Trump has declared South Africa will be excluded from the 2026 G20 summit in Miami, accusing the nation of refusing to hand over the G20 presidency to a US representative at last week’s Johannesburg summit.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa labeled the move “regrettable,” countering that the ceremonial handover was, in fact, duly conducted with a US embassy official after the American delegation chose to boycott the event.
The dispute underscores a deeper rift. Trump, repeating his widely debunked claim that South Africa’s government is “killing white people,” announced an immediate halt to all US payments and subsidies to the country.
The South African government has consistently rejected these allegations as baseless.
A presidential spokesman stated that Pretoria now accepts “there won’t be a reset” in relations with the US under Trump.
While G20 members do not typically require invitations, the US could enforce the ban by denying visas to the South African delegation.
South African officials are now focused on working with other G20 members to maintain the momentum from the Johannesburg summit, which concluded with a joint declaration on climate and economic inequality.
