File: US President Donald Trump welcomes South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to the White House in Washington, DC.
Johannesburg – US President Donald Trump has announced that no American government official will attend the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit in South Africa, claiming that Afrikaners are being “killed and slaughtered” and that their land is being “illegally confiscated”.
Writing on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump said it was a “total disgrace” that the global summit would be held in South Africa, which is set to host world leaders in Johannesburg in just three weeks’ time. The summit is scheduled to begin on 22 November 2025.
Read | Trump says no US officials to attend G20 in South Africa
“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa. Afrikaners (people who are descended from Dutch settlers, and also French and German immigrants) are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated. No US Government Official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue. I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida!”
— Donald J. Trump, Truth Social post, 11:07 PM SAST, 7 November 2025.
DIRCO hits back
The South African Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) responded on Saturday, describing Trump’s comments as “regrettable” and “not substantiated by fact”.
“The characterisation of Afrikaners as an exclusively white group is ahistorical,” DIRCO said in a statement.
“Furthermore, the claim that this community faces persecution is not substantiated by fact.”
DIRCO said the government’s stance on the matter “remains consistent with previous statements”, referencing a series of official communications rejecting claims of racially motivated attacks against farmers.
The ministry added that South Africa’s focus “remains on its positive 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, where shared prosperity bridges deep inequalities,” the statement read.
Tensions rising between Pretoria and Washington
Trump’s remarks are the latest in a string of diplomatic flashpoints between South Africa and the United States.
In May, President Cyril Ramaphosa met Trump at the White House after the US leader made repeated attacks on South Africa’s land policy, alleging “white farmer genocide”.
By July, Washington had imposed sanctions on several ANC figures, signalling worsening relations amid South Africa’s growing ties with Russia.
In August, trade tensions deepened when the US slapped a 30 percent tariff on key South African exports. Analysts warned the move could shave 0.2 percent off GDP, hitting manufacturing and agriculture hardest.
Analysts: ‘A relationship under strain’
Analysts have previously told eNCA that tensions between South Africa and the United States have been building for some time, driven by growing policy differences and political rhetoric on both sides.
They point out that the strain predates Trump’s return to office, with long-standing disagreements over South Africa’s alignment with Russia and China, its legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and its position within the BRICS bloc.
Experts such as economist Dawie Roodt have noted that concerns about the US–South Africa relationship were already being raised by American lawmakers during the previous administration. Political analyst Sandile Swana had also highlighted what he calls the “Elon Musk factor”, referring to the influence of prominent South Africans in Trump’s orbit who may be shaping perceptions of Pretoria.
Despite the diplomatic fallout, Pretoria has maintained that the G20 summit will go ahead as planned.
“We look forward to hosting a successful G20 Leaders’ Summit,” DIRCO said. “South Africa remains committed to dialogue, cooperation and global progress.”