South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has described as 'regrettable' the announcement by US President Donald Trump that South Africa would not be invited to take part in next year's G20 summit in Florida.
In a social media post, Trump stated South Africa had refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a US embassy representative at last week's summit in Johannesburg. 'Therefore, 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.
Although G20 members usually do not require formal invitations, visa restrictions can bar participation.
Trump had boycotted the Johannesburg summit over a widely discredited assertion about the mistreatment of South Africa's white minority. In his statement, Ramaphosa noted that while the US delegation was absent, some American businesses and civil society representatives attended the event.
Ramaphosa remarked, ' it elected not to attend the G20 Leaders Summit in Johannesburg out of its own volition,' despite the handover of presidential duties to a US embassy official being done appropriately. Trump expressed further frustration with the South African government, stating in a post that South Africa had 'demonstrated to the world they were not a country worthy of membership anywhere' and announced an immediate halt to all payments and subsidies to the nation.
While Ramaphosa urged for collaboration within the G20, he emphasized the need for US relations to be guided by facts not misinformation, stating, 'it is regrettable that despite efforts to reset relations with the US, Trump continues to apply punitive measures based on distortions about our country.'
The G20 summit, notably the first held in Africa, moved forward with a joint declaration pledging to promote multilateral cooperation on pressing issues like climate change, despite objections from the US.
In a social media post, Trump stated South Africa had refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a US embassy representative at last week's summit in Johannesburg. 'Therefore, 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.
Although G20 members usually do not require formal invitations, visa restrictions can bar participation.
Trump had boycotted the Johannesburg summit over a widely discredited assertion about the mistreatment of South Africa's white minority. In his statement, Ramaphosa noted that while the US delegation was absent, some American businesses and civil society representatives attended the event.
Ramaphosa remarked, ' it elected not to attend the G20 Leaders Summit in Johannesburg out of its own volition,' despite the handover of presidential duties to a US embassy official being done appropriately. Trump expressed further frustration with the South African government, stating in a post that South Africa had 'demonstrated to the world they were not a country worthy of membership anywhere' and announced an immediate halt to all payments and subsidies to the nation.
While Ramaphosa urged for collaboration within the G20, he emphasized the need for US relations to be guided by facts not misinformation, stating, 'it is regrettable that despite efforts to reset relations with the US, Trump continues to apply punitive measures based on distortions about our country.'
The G20 summit, notably the first held in Africa, moved forward with a joint declaration pledging to promote multilateral cooperation on pressing issues like climate change, despite objections from the US.
