U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced on Wednesday that South Africa will not be invited to participate in the 2026 G20 Summit, scheduled to be held in Miami, Florida. The decision to bar the country from next year’s event — under U.S. presidency — comes in response to what the administration describes as South Africa’s handling of the recent summit and treatment of a U.S. government representative. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
Trump cited the failure of South African authorities to formally hand over the G20 presidency at the end of this year’s summit to a senior U.S. Embassy official as a key factor in his decision. He also accused the South African government of permitting “violent persecution” of white minority communities — a claim that has been strongly rejected by Pretoria. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
In his announcement on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump stated that “South Africa has demonstrated to the world they are not a country worthy of membership anywhere.” He added that the U.S. will immediately cease all payments and subsidies to South Africa. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
The move marks a significant escalation in tensions between the two nations. The decision breaks with more than two decades of precedent in which all G20 members — including South Africa — have participated in summit meetings under rotating presidencies. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
U.S. officials said the exclusion reflects a broader U.S. policy under the current administration toward what it denounces as human-rights abuses and diplomatic protocol violations. Meanwhile, South African leaders and many international observers have called the decision “punitive” and warned of potential consequences for global cooperation through the G20 framework. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
