South Africa Condemns Trump’s 2026 G20 Ban

South Africa has criticised US President Donald Trump’s decision to exclude it from the 2026 G20 summit, describing the move as punitive, misinformed and damaging to global cooperation.

Tensions between both countries have festered over conflicting domestic and foreign policy positions, a rift that widened after the United States skipped last week’s G20 summit in Johannesburg.

Trump later announced that South Africa would not be invited to next year’s gathering, which he intends to host at his Miami Golf Resort.

In a strongly worded statement late Wednesday, Pretoria rejected the decision, insisting that South Africa is a sovereign G20 member in its own right and that its participation cannot be dictated by Washington or any single member of the bloc.

“South Africa is a sovereign constitutional democratic country and does not appreciate insults from another country about its membership and worth in participating in global platforms,” the presidency said, adding that it would continue to participate fully in all G20-related engagements.

Trump has accused South Africa of refusing to hand over the G20 presidency symbolically at the close of the Johannesburg summit and cited “horrific human rights abuses” against white farmers — a claim widely discredited and linked to his repeated false narrative of a so-called “white genocide.”

South Africa on Tuesday formally handed over the G20 presidency during a low-key foreign ministry ceremony but refused to do so at the summit itself to a US embassy representative, insisting that Washington must be represented “at the right level.”

Pretoria said the US president’s actions reflect a pattern of hostility since Trump returned to office in January, noting his administration’s imposition of 30 per cent tariffs on South Africa — the highest in sub-Saharan Africa — and ongoing disagreements over Pretoria’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

“It is regrettable that despite the efforts and numerous attempts by President (Cyril) Ramaphosa and his administration to reset the diplomatic relationship with the US, President Trump continues to apply punitive measures against South Africa based on misinformation and distortions about our country,” the statement added.

The G20 comprises 19 countries, along with the European Union and the African Union, collectively representing around 85 per cent of global GDP and two-thirds of the world’s population.