South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday accused US President Donald Trump of continuing to make “untrue statements” about South Africa, including allegations of genocide against Afrikaners and land confiscation targeting white citizens.
In a national address, Ramaphosa said he had taken note of Trump’s recent claim that South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 G20 Summit in Florida. Trump said Pretoria had refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a US Embassy representative — an assertion Ramaphosa firmly rejected.
“Earlier this week, we formally handed over the G20 Presidency for 2026 to the United States, observing the appropriate diplomatic protocols,” he said.
Ramaphosa added that Trump “repeated untrue statements about genocide against Afrikaners and the confiscation of land from white people in our country,” describing the allegations as part of a wider campaign of disinformation.
Relations strained by allegations and misinformation
Trump boycotted this month’s G20 Summit in Johannesburg, claiming white South Africans were being killed indiscriminately and their land seized — accusations the South African government has repeatedly dismissed as baseless.
Ramaphosa said it was “unfortunate” that Washington’s reasons for skipping the summit were based on “blatant misinformation.” He assured citizens that South Africa would continue to participate as a “full, active, and constructive” G20 member.
“South Africa remains a firm and unwavering friend of the American people,” he said, recalling the strong US civil society support during the anti-apartheid struggle.
The president said Pretoria would continue engaging Washington “with respect and dignity as equal sovereign countries,” despite what he described as the lowest point in bilateral relations this year due to disagreements on foreign and domestic policies.
He also warned that groups inside South Africa, the US, and elsewhere had been spreading misinformation that “endangers and undermines South Africa’s national interests, destroys South African jobs, and weakens our country’s relations with one of our most important partners.”