Trump bars South Africa from next G20, cuts funding - Ramaphosa hits back

Tensions between South Africa and the United States escalated to a new high on Wednesday night when US President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that South Africa would be barred from the 2026 G20 summit in Miami and that all US financial support to the country would be halted immediately. Trump's decision stemmed from South Africa's refusal to symbolically pass the G20 presidency to a senior US Embassy representative at the close of the 2026 summit in Johannesburg, which the US did not attend due to alleged unaddressed human rights abuses against Afrikaners and other white settlers, including killings and farm expropriations. Trump described South Africa as unworthy of G20 membership. In response, President Cyril Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, affirmed South Africa's continued full participation in the G20, condemned Trump's punitive actions as based on misinformation despite efforts to reset bilateral relations, and emphasized South Africa's sovereign status and commitment to multilateralism and consensus among all members. Magwenya clarified that the US was invited to all meetings under South Africa's presidency but chose not to attend the leaders' summit, and the G20 presidency handover occurred properly to a US Embassy official at South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation. This exchange highlights deepening diplomatic strains, potential disruptions to G20 unity, and broader implications for US-South Africa relations amid ongoing disputes over land reform and racial issues in South Africa.