Ramaphosa responds to US exclusion from G20

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa will continue to participate fully and remain an active and constructive member of the G20 countries despite the US announcement that the country would not be invited to next year's summit.

- MANYANE MANYANE

Ramaphosa said last night when addressing the nation about the recent G20 summit that was held in South Africa. Trump announced last week Wednesday evening via his social media platform that South Africa would not receive an invitation to the 2026 G20, which is expected to be held in Miami, Florida. He also added that the US will stop all payments and subsidies with immediate effect.

His remarks followed South Africa's refusal to symbolically pass the G20 presidency to a senior US Embassy representative at the close of this year's summit in Johannesburg. He also added that the US did not attend the G20 in South Africa because the South African government refused to acknowledge or address what he called "the horrific human rights abuses" endured by Afrikaners, and other descendants of Dutch, French and German settlers. He added that white people were killed in the country and that their farms were "randomly" taken, an allegation that South Africa has denied.

"It is regrettable that the US, which is a founding member of the G20 and which takes over the Presidency of the G20 from South Africa in 2026, chose not to participate in the G20 Leaders' Summit and the final meetings leading up to it.