South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has hit back at United States President Donald Trump’s statement barring the country from the leaders’ Summit to be held in Miami in 2026.
In a statement on November 26, 2025, Ramaphosa said Trump’s words were regrettable, citing that they were based on wrong information and distortions about the 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 based on misinformation and distortions about our country,” read part of the statement.
The US statement comes days after this year’s Leaders’ Summit, held in Johannesburg on November 22/23,2025, which the US government did not attend.
Why the US lacked Representation in the Summit
The founding member of the G20 boycotted the 2025 summit for the very first time in history, stemming from possible feuds between the two country heads.
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The US alleged that;
- White farmers (Afrikaners) were facing persecution and mistreatment in South Africa, being a white minority in the country.
Trump has repeatedly cited this allegation, having tweeted about it back in 2018 and now again in his second term of leadership.
- He also alleged that land was being confiscated from the white farmers without compensation, as well as mass killings, raising a human rights abuse debate
- The US rejected South Africa’s priorities for the G20, which were themed around diversity, equity, and inclusion, terming them as “nonsense and anti-American as the US State Secretary, Marco Rubio, stated.
The themes included debt relief for developing nations, climate finance, and addressing global wealth gaps, and were viewed as socialist and contrary to America’s first policies of fossil fuel prioritization and rejection of multilateral climate commitments.
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With the absence of the United States, Ramaphosa’s statement indicated that instruments of the G20 Presidency were duly handed over to a US Embassy official at the Headquarters of South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, and that the summit was a success and well attended.
“The G20 South Africa 2025 Leaders’ Summit, attended by several Heads of State and Government, was hailed by all those who attended the summit as one of the most successful summits.”
Bold Position
Despite threats from Trump that South Africa will not be invited to the next year’s summit, Ramaphosa candidly stated that the country is a member of the G20 in its own right and that its G20 membership is at the behest of all other members.
He added that 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; it respects the sovereignty of all countries and will never insult or demean another country or its standing and worthiness in the community of nations, and that it will keep participating fully in the G20.
“South Africa will continue to participate as a full, active, and constructive member of the G20. We call on members of the G20 to reaffirm its continued operation in the spirit of multilateralism, based on consensus, with all members participating on an equal footing in all its structures.”
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