South Africa Slams Trump’s Move to Block It from Attending G20 Summit
Trump announced earlier his decision to exclude South Africa from next year's G20 gathering and suspend all U.S. financial assistance to the country.
The G20's current South African Presidency issued a statement calling the situation "regrettable" despite President Cyril Ramaphosa's attempts to rebuild ties with Washington. Trump continues imposing punitive actions against Pretoria, the statement said, "based on misinformation and distortions about our country."
"President Cyril Ramaphosa has noted the regrettable statement by President Donald Trump on South Africa's participation in the 2026 G20 meetings," the official declaration read.
South Africa pledged to maintain its status as "a full, active and constructive member of the G20," urging fellow member nations to uphold multilateralism and consensus-driven processes where all participants engage equally.
The statement added: "South Africa is a sovereign constitutional democratic country and does not appreciate insults from another country about its worth in participating in global platforms. South Africa will never insult another country or its standing in the community of nations."
Because the United States skipped this year's summit, G20 presidency materials were transferred to a U.S. embassy representative at South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation headquarters, the government confirmed.
Washington boycotted the gathering by dispatching zero American officials.
Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for President Ramaphosa, rejected the notion that South Africa's president would transfer the G20 presidency to a junior U.S. embassy staffer, stating: "It's a breach of protocol that is not going to be accommodated or allowed in this instance. It is a position of principle."
A South African broadcasting agency reported that both parties quietly finalized the handover Tuesday through mutual agreement.
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