By Obinna Uballa
South Africa has strongly denounced United States President Donald Trump’s decision to bar it from the 2026 G20 summit, calling the move “punitive” and based on distortions that undermine global cooperation.
The dispute comes amid heightened tensions between the two nations over domestic and foreign policy issues. The standoff escalated after Washington skipped the recent G20 summit in Johannesburg. Trump subsequently announced that South Africa would not be invited to next year’s meeting, which he plans to host at his Miami golf resort.
In a statement late Wednesday, Pretoria emphasized that South Africa is a sovereign G20 member and that its membership is recognised by the bloc’s other nations. “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, affirming that it will continue engaging in all G20 meetings.
Trump justified the exclusion by citing alleged “horrific human rights abuses” against white farmers and South Africa’s refusal to symbolically hand over the G20 presidency to the United States at the Johannesburg summit. Pretoria, however, insisted the handover be conducted “at the right level,” later transferring the presidency in a low-key foreign ministry event.
“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 said.
Relations between the two nations have also been strained over South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice, as well as US-imposed 30 per cent tariffs, the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.
The G20, comprising 19 countries plus the European Union and the African Union, accounts for 85 per cent of the world’s GDP and two-thirds of its population. South Africa’s presidency of the 2025 G20 summit marked a historic milestone for the continent, and Pretoria has vowed to continue playing an active role in the bloc despite Washington’s objections.
