Anger over US President Trump's call to bar South Africa from next G20 Summit
Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – There is growing outrage after US President Donald Trump announced that South Africa would be barred from the 2026 G20 Summit and face the immediate suspension of all US financial support.
Trump on Wednesday took to his Truth Social, falsely claiming the US did not attend last week’s G20 Summit in Johannesburg because South Africa refused to acknowledge or address the horrific human rights abuses endured by white farmers, a claim which has been widely discredited.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said it is regrettable that, despite the efforts and numerous attempts by his administration to reset diplomatic relations with the US, Trump continues to impose punitive measures against South Africa based on “misinformation and distortions”.
Several politicians and foundations weighed in on the matter, defending South Africa's right to attend the event. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday said he will try to convince Trump “that it would be good to invite all members of the G20 to America”.
The FW de Klerk Foundation said South Africa is an equal, sovereign member of the G20 and that the nation “will not be bullied out of global forums by misinformation”.
The opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has called on other G20 member states to publicly reaffirm South Africa’s rightful standing in the grouping. EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo described Trump’s latest actions as reckless: “This move is neither justified nor legal, and a brazen, vindictive attempt to undermine South Africa’s sovereignty and punish our nation for refusing to bow to imperial coercion.”
He warned that the repeated attacks by Trump were not moral outrage but rather a tactic to retaliate against South Africa’s foreign policy decisions that do not serve the US’ interests, particularly standing in solidarity with Palestine and taking their “ally-in-genocide”, Israel, to the International Court of Justice.
-0- PANA CU/MA 29Dec2025
