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Donald Trump has announced that no American government officials will attend the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa, accusing the country of persecuting white Afrikaner farmers, a claim long dismissed as “baseless” by Pretoria. Trump had earlier said Vice President JD Vance would represent Washington at the annual gathering of the world’s leading and emerging economies later this month. However, according to The Associated Press, a person familiar with Vance’s plans confirmed that the Vice President would no longer travel to South Africa. “It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, citing what he called “abuses” against Afrikaners, including violence, deaths, and confiscation of land and farms. “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,” he added. Trump also mentioned that he looked forward to hosting the 2026 G20 summit in the United States, at his own golf resort in Miami, Florida. “No U.S. Government Official will attend as long as these Human Rights abuses continue. I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida!” Trump wrote. Donald Trump’s post on Truth Social The US President’s remarks revive his long-standing narrative of a so-called “white genocide” in South Africa, claims that have been repeatedly debunked by rights groups and the South African government. During a meeting earlier this year, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa reportedly told Trump that allegations of discrimination against white farmers were “completely false.” South African officials have emphasised that white citizens continue to enjoy higher living standards than the Black majority, decades after the end of apartheid. According to AP, the Trump administration has continued to accuse South Africa’s post-apartheid government of turning a blind eye to attacks on minority white farmers. Earlier this year, Washington announced plans to drastically cut refugee admissions to just 7,500 annually, the lowest in US history, with priority given to white South Africans who it claims face “discrimination and violence.” Relations between Washington and Pretoria have also soured over several contentious issues. Trump has imposed steep 30 per cent tariffs on South African imports, the highest for any sub-Saharan nation, and criticised South Africa’s decision to file a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. In January, as he returned to the White House, Trump had reportedly confronted Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, showing him a video alleging a campaign against white farmers. During a recent economic address in Miami, Trump went a step further, saying South Africa should be “thrown out” of the G20. Earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio boycotted a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting because it focused on diversity, inclusion, and climate change, topics the Trump administration has dismissed as “ideological.” ALSO READ | Trump Says He May Exempt Hungary From Russian Oil Sanctions
