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The US boycotted the G20 summit in Johannesburg after Trump repeated widely disproven claims that South Africa’s Black-majority govt discriminates against white citizens.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (Reuters Image)
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described the US decision to skip the G20 Leaders’ Summit as “regrettable” and rejected Trump’s warning that Pretoria would be left out of next year’s G20 meeting.
“It is regrettable that the United States of America, which is a founding member of the G20 and which takes over the Presidency of the G20 from South Africa in 2026, chose not to participate in the G20 Leaders’ Summit and the final meetings leading up to it,” he said.
“South Africa is and will remain a full, active and constructive member of the G20,” Ramaphosa said in a state of the nation address on Sunday.
He also described as “blatant misinformation” Trump’s repeated claims that South Africa was committing “genocide against Afrikaners” – descendants of Dutch settlers – and confiscating land from white citizens.
It is regrettable that the United States of America, which is a founding member of the G20 and which takes over the Presidency of the G20 from South Africa in 2026, chose not to participate in the G20 Leaders’ Summit and the final meetings leading up to it.…— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) November 30, 2025
The United States skipped the G20 leaders’ summit hosted by South Africa in Johannesburg on November 22–23, after Trump again claimed—despite these claims having been broadly debunked—that South Africa’s Black-majority government mistreats white citizens.
US President Donald Trump also stated last Wednesday that South Africa would not be invited to next year’s G20 meeting in Florida, accusing Pretoria of refusing to pass on the presidency to a senior US embassy representative at the summit’s closing ceremony. South African officials, however, insist that the presidency was formally transferred to an American diplomat.
President Ramaphosa pointed out that even with the diplomatic tensions, US companies and civil society organisations still took part enthusiastically in the G20 activities held in Johannesburg.
“We value those constructive ties and will continue to work within the G20 framework,” he said, indicating South Africa’s readiness to keep communication open.
“We appreciate these constructive relationships and will keep engaging through the G20,” he said, signalling that Pretoria intends to continue dialogue despite the strain.
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
December 01, 2025, 07:10 IST
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