US-South Africa row deepens as Trump blocks Pretoria from 2026 G20 summit

Tensions between the United States and South Africa escalated on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump declared that Pretoria would not be invited to the 2026 G20 Summit slated for Miami, Florida.

The announcement capped a week of diplomatic friction triggered by the absence of the U.S. delegation at the closing session of the G20 meeting in Johannesburg.

Trump accused South Africa of intentionally denying American officials the ceremonial handover of the G20 Presidency, describing the move as an affront to Washington.

In a post on Truth Social, he alleged that South African officials refused to present the G20 instruments to a representative of the U.S. Embassy who attended the event, prompting his decision to bar the country from next year’s summit.

Pretoria swiftly rejected the claim, calling the remarks unfortunate and maintaining that the handover took place appropriately at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

The dispute marks the latest flashpoint in Trump’s renewed criticisms of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration.

Since returning to office, he has accused South Africa of racial discrimination and claimed white farmers were being targeted, allegations repeatedly dismissed by global monitors.

Trump also announced that his administration would suspend all assistance to South Africa, citing disagreements over land policies and Pretoria’s genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice.

Ramaphosa’s office countered that Washington is acting on false information and warned that such measures could jeopardize decades of diplomatic partnership between the two countries.