|
US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that South Africa would not receive an invitation to the G20 Summit in 2026 when the United States holds the presidency. Trump also cited the US absence from the recent G20 Summit in Johannesburg.
In a detailed post on X, Trump accused the South African government of failing to acknowledge alleged human rights violations faced by certain settlers. He wrote, "To put it more bluntly, they are killing white people, and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them," while asserting that "Afrikaners, and other descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers" were experiencing human rights abuses. The G20 Leaders' Summit, held last weekend in Johannesburg, saw the participation of several world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the United States chose not to send a delegation, maintaining its stand throughout the event. Trump further claimed that South Africa declined to hand over the G20 Presidency to an American Embassy representative who attended the closing ceremony. He stated, "Therefore, at my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20, which will be hosted in the Great City of Miami, Florida next year." Responding to the announcement, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa termed the move "regrettable" and noted that his government had consistently worked to strengthen diplomatic ties with Washington. On reports about the G20 gavel handover, South Africa's Presidency clarified that "As the United States was not present at the summit, instruments of the G20 presidency were duly handed over to a US Embassy official at the Headquarters of South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation." Trump has frequently repeated claims of persecution of the white minority in South Africa, including allegations of a genocide of white farmers, claims that have been rejected previously by the South African government as well as white community leaders in the country. (ANI)
|
