South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described as "regrettable" U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that South Africa will not be invited to the 2026 G20 summit, calling it a punitive measure based on misinformation.
Trump said on Wednesday that South Africa would be excluded from next year's G20 gathering in Miami, citing what he called the country's refusal to hand over the rotating presidency to a U.S. representative and alleging human rights abuses against white Afrikaners.
"At my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20, which will be hosted in the Great City of Miami, Florida next year," Trump said on Truth Social. "South Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere, and we are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately."
The move would mark an unprecedented exclusion of a founding member from the forum of the world's major economies in its more than 20-year history.
South Africa's presidency rejected Trump's account of events surrounding the G20 handover, saying instruments of the G20 Presidency were duly handed over to a U.S. Embassy official at the headquarters of South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation after Washington declined to send a senior representative to the summit.
"South Africa is a sovereign constitutional democratic country and does not appreciate insults from another country about its worth in participating in global platforms," the South African presidency said in a statement.
Clayson Monyela, head of public diplomacy at South Africa's foreign ministry, challenged Trump's framing of the dispute. "South Africa is a founding member of the G20. We don't get invited to G20 meetings and leaders' summit. Those are gatherings of members," Monyela said. "If other members allow this then the G20 will die."
The G20 comprises 19 countries including South Africa, the European Union, and since 2023, the African Union. South Africa joined as a founding member in 1999, making it the only African nation with permanent membership in the forum.
Relations between Washington and Pretoria have deteriorated sharply since Trump took office in January. Trump signed an executive order in February freezing U.S. aid to South Africa, citing the country's land policy and its genocide case at the International Court of Justice against Israel. In March, the State Department expelled South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, declaring him persona non grata.
Trump has repeatedly alleged that South Africa's Black-majority government persecutes its white minority, claims that Pretoria and independent observers have rejected as false.
The United States boycotted the G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg last week, which South Africa said was hailed by all attending members as one of the most successful gatherings. The summit produced a 122-point declaration despite U.S. objections.
"It is regrettable that despite the efforts and numerous attempts by President Ramaphosa and his administration to reset the diplomatic relationship with the US President Trump continues to apply punitive measures against South Africa based on misinformation and distortions about our country," the presidency said.
South Africa said it would continue to participate as a full G20 member and called on other members to reaffirm the forum's operation based on consensus and equal participation.
The Trump administration plans to invite Poland to participate at an elevated level at the 2026 gatherings, according to sources familiar with the matter. Trump invited Polish President Karol Nawrocki to attend the summit during a White House visit in September.
The 2026 G20 summit is scheduled for December at Trump National Doral Miami, the president's golf resort.
