Cape Town – South Africa says it will still attend the 2026 G20 Leaders’ Summit in the United States despite President Donald Trump announcing that the country will not be invited.
Trump claimed South Africa committed “horrific human rights abuses” against Afrikaners and said the US would cut all payments and subsidies to Pretoria.
South Africa rejects these accusations, calling them false and insulting.
The Presidency says the country is a legitimate G20 member and its membership cannot be revoked unilaterally.
Speaking during an interview with BBC News Africa, Deputy President Paul Mashatile said South Africa intends to participate unless US authorities deny visas to its delegates — a possibility under Trump.
South Africa says it will still attend next year’s G20 summit in Miami, despite President Trump pulling out of this year’s meeting and calling for SA’s removal from the bloc.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile told the BBC’s @WaihigaMwaura they hope delegates won’t be denied visas. pic.twitter.com/j9NIJA1e4R— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) November 27, 2025
“We are part of the G20, so we will attend until they say no, they are not going to give us visas. You never know with the Trump administration, but we will go.”
Because the G20 is an informal forum without any rules allowing one member to expel another, no country can simply bar a fellow member from attending its summit.
Mashatile said he is puzzled by the United States’ decision to skip the recent G20 meeting in South Africa, noting that he has received no official explanation.
Trump had earlier declared that no US officials would travel to South Africa, repeating false claims that the country was carrying out “genocide” against Afrikaners — claims he used to justify offering them refugee status earlier in the year.
“I really don’t understand. I haven’t seen any correspondence except what I heard a week ago: that they’ve pulled out. He may be sending some correspondence to the president, but so far, I haven’t seen anything.
“We are pursuing those discussions; we have not given up on the US,” Mashatile said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
