Trump Challenges South Africa's G20 Membership Ahead of Summit

Thu Nov 06 2025 22:27:55 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As the G20 summit approaches in Johannesburg, President Trump publicly questions South Africa's place in the global economic forum, stirring diplomatic tensions.

In a recent conference, President Trump stated that South Africa should no longer be a member of the G20, criticizing the country over its treatment of the white minority. South African officials, however, remain optimistic about hosting the upcoming summit, emphasizing their commitment to inclusivity and equality. The controversy highlights growing tensions between the two nations, particularly in the wake of recent U.S. policies concerning white refugees.

South Africa has skated over the latest criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he does not think the country should be part of the G20 any longer.

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told the BBC his country was confident it would host a very successful G20 summit when leaders from the world's largest economies gather in Johannesburg later this month.

Trump, who has repeatedly accused South Africa of discriminating against its white minority, will not be attending — sending Vice-President JD Vance instead.

Every year, a different member state holds the presidency of the G20 and sets the agenda for the leaders' summit — with the U.S. due to take over after South Africa.

South Africa shouldn't even be in the Gs any more, because what's happened there is bad. I'm not going to represent our country there. It shouldn't be there, Trump said at a conference in Miami on Wednesday.

South Africa's government declined to make a full statement in response to these comments, though last week it hit back at the U.S.'s decision to prioritize refugee applications from white South African Afrikaners, who are mostly descendants of Dutch and French settlers.

It said claims of a white genocide had been widely discredited and lacked reliable evidence.

South Africa's latest crime statistics do not indicate that more white people have fallen victim to violent crime than other racial groups.

The G20 was founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis. The nations involved have more than 85% of the world's wealth and its aim was to restore economic stability.

The first leaders' summit was held in 2008 in response to that year's global financial turmoil, to promote international co-operation.

Now the leaders get together each year — along with representatives of the European Union and African Union — to talk about the world's economies and the issues countries are facing.

There is no formal procedure laid down for kicking a country out of the G20, according to Dr. Andrew Gawthorpe from UK-based think-tank the Foreign Policy Centre.

This year South Africa has adopted the theme of solidarity, equality, and sustainability — something the country's foreign ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri emphasized following Trump's criticism.

Trump offered refugee status to Afrikaners earlier this year after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a law allowing the government to seize land without compensation in rare instances.

South Africa made efforts to soothe tensions, with Ramaphosa going to the White House in May with a large delegation that included white members of his coalition government.

But Trump ambushed the Oval Office meeting with claims that white South African farmers were being killed and persecuted — producing unsubstantiated evidence that has been widely discredited.

Further efforts by South Africa to mend the relationship failed, with Africa's largest economy being hit in August with 30% tariffs on goods being exported to the U.S. — the highest rate in sub-Saharan Africa.