South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday brushed aside U.S. President Donald Trump’s remark about potentially removing Pretoria from next year’s G20 gathering, stressing once again that the country retains its original standing within the forum.
The United States skipped the leaders’ meeting hosted in Johannesburg on November 22–23, during which Trump revived long-debunked accusations that the nation’s Black-led administration targets its white minority.
Trump asserted last Wednesday that South Africa would be denied participation in the Florida summit next year, alleging that Pretoria refused to pass the G20 chairmanship to a senior diplomat present at the closing session. Officials in Pretoria maintain that the rotating leadership was formally transferred to a representative from the U.S. embassy.
“South Africa is and will remain a full, active and constructive member of the G20,” Ramaphosa said in a state of the nation address on Sunday.
He further pushed back on Trump’s recurring allegations, labelling them “blatant misinformation” and rejecting claims that South Africa was perpetrating “genocide against Afrikaners” or seizing land from white residents.
Ramaphosa added that, despite tensions at the political level, American companies and civic organisations still took part enthusiastically in the G20-linked programmes that took place in Johannesburg in November.
“We value those constructive ties and will continue to work within the G20 framework,” he said, signalling Pretoria’s intention to sustain engagement.
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