South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has described as regrettable the announcement by US President Donald Trump that South Africa would not be invited to take part in next year's G20 summit in Florida.

In a social media post, Trump stated that South Africa had refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a US embassy representative during last week's summit in Johannesburg.

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, Trump added.

It's important to note that G20 members do not require an invitation for attendance, but visa restrictions may be applied. Members were anticipated to participate fully despite the controversy surrounding Trump's previous boycott of the Johannesburg summit due to what he termed as large-scale killings and land grabs affecting South Africa's white minority.

In his statement, Ramaphosa mentioned that the absence of the US delegation was a self-imposed choice, although it acknowledged that some US businesses and civil entities engaged in the summit.

Ramaphosa pointed out that, with the US delegation not present, the transition of G20 presidency responsibilities was managed by a US Embassy official at South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

This seemingly unobtrusive handover appears to have heightened tensions with Trump, who has been vocal in his criticism of South Africa’s policies both domestically and internationally. In previous remarks, Trump has claimed that a white genocide is underway in South Africa, accusations the government has repeatedly dismissed as unfounded.

Ramaphosa expressed disappointment that efforts to improve US-South Africa relations have been met with punitive measures based on misinformation. In his recent Truth Social post, Trump implied that South Africa had demonstrated it was not a nation deserving membership in global organizations, announcing an immediate halt to all payments and subsidies.

Amid this backdrop, South African officials have called on G20 members to stand together and protect the integrity and rights of all member states. The recent G20 summit in Johannesburg concluded with a joint commitment toward multilateral cooperation, despite dissent from the US regarding South Africa's leadership during the summit.

Additional reporting by Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg.