The United States has announced that no US government officials will attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit scheduled for 22-23 November in Johannesburg, citing what President Trump describes as serious “human rights abuses” in the host country.
What Donald Trump is alleging
In a post on his social media platform, Trump said: “It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa. Afrikaners … are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.”
He added that “No US Government Official will attend as long as these Human Rights abuses continue,” and mentioned looking forward to hosting the G20 in Miami in 2026.
The allegations focus on the treatment of Afrikaners and claims of racial persecution and land‐confiscation – claims which the South African government has denied.
Responding to the news, the South African government described Donald Trump’s remarks as “regrettable,” saying Johannesburg looks forward to welcoming delegates for the G20 Summit.
In a statement, the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said Trump’s characterisation of Afrikaners as an exclusively white group is “ahistorical” and that claims of their persecution are not supported by evidence.
The ministry reaffirmed its statement that allegations of a so-called “white genocide” in South Africa are widely discredited and lack credible proof.
The government clarified that the South African Constitution guarantees citizens the right to emigrate legally, but stressed the distinction between voluntary migration and refugee asylum.
US representation withdrawn
While the US had initially planned to send Vice President J.D. Vance in place of the President, sources now say even this attendance has been cancelled, meaning the U.S. will have little to no official representation at the Johannesburg summit.
Implications for G20 & bilateral relations
- The boycott marks an escalation in diplomatic tensions between Washington and Pretoria, centring on broader issues including South Africa’s land reform policies, its foreign policy stances (especially regarding Israel and Gaza), and accusations by the U.S. of discrimination against white South Africans.
- South Africa, the first African country to host a G20 Heads of State summit, has said it hopes the US will attend and engage. President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier called for US presence at the handover of the G20 presidency.
- The absence of the U.S. may affect the summit’s outcomes and global perceptions of its inclusivity, given the U.S.’s traditional role in the G20.
What happens next
The G20 summit will proceeds in Johannesburg in late November under the South African presidency.
Meanwhile, the US will assume the G20 presidency as of December 2025 and has signalled its intent to host the 2026 summit in Miami, Florida.
For South Africa, managing the summit in the absence of full US participation poses both a diplomatic challenge and a reputational test – especially as it seeks to project its agenda of “solidarity, equality and sustainability” on the global stage.
