South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday dismissed a threat by U.S. President Donald Trump to exclude Pretoria from next year’s G20 summit, reaffirming that South Africa remains a full, founding member of the global grouping.
Trump had announced on Wednesday that South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 summit, to be held in Florida, claiming the country failed properly to hand over the G20 presidency. Pretoria, however, said the rotating presidency was duly transferred to a U.S. embassy official after the November summit in Johannesburg.
In his address, Ramaphosa described claims that South Africa persecutes its white minority or commits “genocide against Afrikaners” as “blatant misinformation.” He stressed that the country will continue to participate in G20 processes as an active and constructive member.
Despite the diplomatic dispute, Ramaphosa noted that U.S. businesses and civil‑society groups had engaged in G20‑related events in Johannesburg last month, underscoring Pretoria’s interest in maintaining dialogue under the multilateral framework.
