ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has strongly rejected claims by former US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the South African government is persecuting white Afrikaners. The controversy follows Trump’s announcement that the United States will boycott the upcoming G20 Summit in Johannesburg.
Trump made the remarks on his Truth Social platform on Friday, accusing South Africa of “killing and slaughtering” Afrikaners and “illegally confiscating” their land. “No US government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue,” he wrote. Rubio echoed the sentiment on X, alleging that Afrikaners face “violent racial discrimination”.
The accusations come just weeks before South Africa hosts the 2025 G20 Summit on 22–23 November, marking the first time the event will be held on African soil. South Africa currently holds the G20 presidency, following last year’s summit in Brazil.
In an interview with eNCA, Mbalula dismissed the claims as “imperialist interference” and “a blatant lie”. He said: “There is no racial discrimination happening in South Africa. Our laws are designed to redress apartheid-era injustices, which the UN declared a crime against humanity. We don’t take kindly to imperialist flirtations.”
Mbalula reiterated that “the G20 will take place with or without the US”, stating that South Africa’s sovereignty would not be undermined. “It’s unfortunate that they’ve stirred up issues that border on imperialism. We are an anti-imperialist organisation,” he added.
Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Ronald Lamola also criticised the US leaders’ remarks, describing them as “baseless and politically motivated”. He cited police data showing that farm-related crimes affect both black and white South Africans. “From April 2020 to March 2024, 225 people were victims of crime on farms, 101 were current or former farmworkers, mostly black, while 53 were farmers, mostly white,” Lamola said.
The Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, rejected what he called Trump’s “ahistorical” characterisation of Afrikaners, stating there is no factual basis for claims of persecution.
Tensions between Washington and Pretoria have grown amid disputes over South Africa’s land reform policies and closer ties with Russia. Earlier this year, the US imposed tariffs on South African exports and sanctioned several ANC figures.
Despite the diplomatic fallout, Mbalula confirmed that preparations for the Johannesburg G20 Summit remain on track. “We will host a successful G20 Summit with or without the US. South Africa stands for fair trade and mutual respect, not the dominance of superpowers,” he said.
Trump later announced that the 2026 G20 Summit will be held in Miami, Florida.
