US President Donald Trump announced that no American officials will attend the G20 summit scheduled in South Africa later this month, citing what he described as ongoing human rights abuses against Afrikaners, a claim widely disputed and debunked.
Trump, who previously indicated Vice President JD Vance would attend in his place, said on his Truth Social platform: “It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa. No U.S. Government Official will attend as long as these Human Rights abuses continue.”
He added that Afrikaners — descendants of the first European settlers in South Africa — “are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.” Trump also expressed anticipation of hosting the 2026 G20 summit in the United States, controversially planned for his Miami golf resort.
The South African foreign ministry described Trump’s remarks as “regrettable” and reaffirmed its commitment to hosting a successful summit on November 22-23. “The characterisation of Afrikaners as an exclusively white group is ahistorical. Furthermore, the claim that this community faces persecution is not substantiated by fact,” the statement said.
South Africa’s government emphasized the summit theme, “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,” and highlighted the nation’s global contributions. “Drawing on our own journey from racial and ethnic division to democracy, our nation is uniquely positioned to champion within the G20 a future of genuine solidarity,” the ministry added.
Trump has repeatedly targeted South Africa since returning to the White House in January, including presenting unverified claims of a “white genocide” to President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office. The South African government denies any such policy.
Recently, the US administration also announced a historic reduction in refugee admissions, prioritizing white South Africans, and imposed a 30 percent tariff on South African goods, the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. The two nations have additionally clashed over South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice regarding alleged genocide in Gaza.
