Trump Proposes South Africa's Exit from G20 Amid Unfolding Summit Preparations

Thu Nov 06 2025 19:20:37 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As South Africa prepares to host the G20 summit, US President Donald Trump expresses his belief that the nation should no longer be included in the international forum, citing its treatment of the white minority. South Africa's government reaffirms its confidence in successfully hosting the summit.

In a notable shift in US-South African relations, President Donald Trump has suggested that South Africa should be removed from the G20, referencing alleged discrimination against the white minority. The South African government, however, remains optimistic about its upcoming G20 summit, set to convene later this month in Johannesburg. Trump's claims are part of a broader narrative that South Africa has disputed, emphasizing solidarity and equality as key themes of their summit agenda.

South Africa has skated over the latest criticism from US 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 US 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 US'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.

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 leaders get together each year to talk about the world's economies and the issues countries are facing.

This year South Africa has adopted the theme of solidarity, equality, and sustainability - something 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.

Efforts by South Africa to mend the relationship have been thwarted by tensions that surfaced during a meeting where Trump made unsubstantiated claims regarding violence against white farmers.