South Africa has condemned US President Donald Trump for barring it from next year’s G20 events in the United States. The government said the decision is “punitive” and relies on “misinformation and distortions”.

The Guardian reported that the presidency called Trump’s remarks “regrettable”. The statement stressed that South Africa is a sovereign democracy. It noted that all G20 members recognise its status.

The presidency said, “South Africa … will never insult or demean another country … It is regrettable that despite the efforts and numerous attempts by President Ramaphosa and his administration to reset the diplomatic relationship with the US, President Trump continues to apply punitive measures against South Africa.”

Trump repeats discredited claims

Trump announced the decision on Truth Social. He repeated a false claim that South Africa is “killing white people”. He also accused South Africa of refusing to hand over the G20 Presidency to a US Embassy representative at the summit in Johannesburg.

He wrote, “At 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. Therefore, at my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20, which will be hosted in the Great City of Miami, Florida next year.”

Trump added, “South Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere, and we are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately.”

Diplomatic relations worsen further

This dispute follows another clash earlier this year. In February, Trump stopped US aid to South Africa. He accused the government of discriminating against white Afrikaners, encouraging violence against white farmers, and taking land from them. South Africa rejected all these claims.

Officials explained that land expropriation remains limited. They also said crime affects people of every race.

The US did not attend the G20 Leaders Summit in Johannesburg. After the boycott, the US demanded that President Ramaphosa hand over the G20 Presidency to America’s acting ambassador. South Africa refused. It said the request broke protocol because the diplomat was a “junior” official.

South Africa praised the summit. It said leaders supported global cooperation. They agreed to focus on climate action and gender equality. Both issues conflict with Trump’s policy approach.

Trump’s claims on Afrikaners

Trump and other US officials have continued to repeat false claims about the treatment of Afrikaners. In May, the US began granting refugee status to white South Africans. At the same time, it halted most other refugee admissions.

On Tuesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “The United States did not attend the G20 in South Africa, because the South African Government refuses to acknowledge or address the horrific Human Right Abuses endured by Afrikaners, and other descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers.
“To put it more bluntly, they are killing white people, and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them.”

The facts do not support those claims. Police recorded 12 farm murders in the last quarter of 2024. Some victims were black smallholder farmers. These cases occurred out of nearly 7,000 murders across the country.

Land restitution remains slow. White minority ownership still dominates private farmland. Only a few land claims have succeeded after long legal battles.