The United States President, Donald Trump, has issued a sharp warning to South Africa, accusing the country of serious human rights violations and announcing immediate diplomatic and financial measures in response.
In a statement posted on X shortly after the conclusion of the 2025 G20 Johannesburg Summit, Trump justified the U.S. absence at the meeting, claiming that South Africa failed to address alleged abuses against Afrikaners and other descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers. “The United States did not attend the G20 in South Africa, because the South African Government refuses to acknowledge or address the horrific Human Rights Abuses endured by Afrikaners, and other descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers,” he said.
Trump further alleged that these violations, which he described as threats to life and property, remain unpunished. “To put it more bluntly, they are killing white people, and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them,” he stated. He also criticised U.S. media outlets for allegedly ignoring the situation.
“Perhaps, worst of all, the soon-to-be-out-of-business New York Times and the Fake News Media won’t issue a word against this genocide. That’s why all the Liars and Pretenders of the Radical Left Media are going out of business!” Trump wrote.
In addition to human rights concerns, Trump claimed that U.S. officials were disrespected at the summit. “At the conclusion of the G20, South Africa refused to hand off the G20 Presidency to a Senior Representative from our U.S. Embassy, who attended the Closing Ceremony,” he said.
Trump confirmed that South Africa would be excluded from the next G20 summit in 2026, stating, “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.” He also announced the immediate suspension of U.S. financial support, writing, “South Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere, and we are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately.”
The 2025 G20 Summit in Johannesburg, held from 22 to 23 November at the Expo Centre (NASREC), marked the first time the summit was hosted on African soil. Leaders from the world’s 20 largest economies convened to discuss global economic growth, climate action, debt sustainability, and development priorities for the Global South.
Under South Africa’s presidency, the summit adopted the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,” highlighting multilateral cooperation and the development agenda of emerging economies. The summit concluded with a leaders’ declaration on sustainable growth, climate resilience, and global development, despite the absence of the United States delegation.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, who chaired the summit, formally closed the proceedings and handed over the G20 presidency. He dismissed claims of protocol violations, calling the summit a success for multilateral engagement. South Africa described the U.S. boycott as “regrettable,” but stressed that the outcomes demonstrated the G20’s continued ability to address global challenges even without one member present.
