Trump excludes South Africa from the first G20 meeting

South Africa has been excluded from the upcoming G20 sherpas meeting on December 15-16, 2025, in Washington, with the United States inviting all other G20 members but deliberately singling out SA. President Donald Trump confirmed that South Africa will also not be invited to the 2026 G20 summit, which he plans to host at his Miami golf resort. This exclusion stems from escalating tensions between the two nations, including the US skipping South Africa's recent G20 summit in Johannesburg, where Trump cited 'horrific human rights abuses' against white farmers and SA's refusal to symbolically hand over the G20 presidency. Trump has repeatedly targeted South Africa with false claims of a 'white genocide' and imposed harsh measures since his second term began in January, such as freezing funding for programs like PEPFAR and USAID—prompted by SA's December 2024 ICJ case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza—and a 30% 'reciprocal' tariff on South African exports. Professor Christopher Isike, Director of the African Centre for the Study of the United States at the University of Pretoria, told the SABC that the snub prevents SA from influencing key agendas or advancing prior G20 decisions, which is detrimental to both countries, though SA may regain influence at the 2027 UK-hosted summit where aligned policies could be advanced. In response, President Cyril Ramaphosa affirmed South Africa's commitment to full G20 participation as an active member, emphasizing enduring friendship with the American people based on historical solidarity during SA's anti-apartheid struggle and shared constitutional inspirations, while pledging continued respectful dialogue as equal sovereign nations.