South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has described as regrettable the announcement by US President Donald Trump that South Africa would not be invited to take part in next year's G20 summit in Florida.


In a social media post, Trump stated that South Africa had refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a US embassy representative at last week's summit in Johannesburg.


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.


Members of the G20 – a gathering of the world's largest economies – do not require an invite but might be restricted through visa regulations.


Trump boycotted the Johannesburg summit, citing a widely discredited claim about killings of South Africa's white minority.


In response, Ramaphosa noted that the US was expected to participate in the G20 meetings, and expressed disappointment at its absence from the summit. He emphasized that instruments of the G20 Presidency were passed to a US Embassy official at South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation.


This low-key transfer reportedly upset Trump, who has previously criticized South African domestic and foreign policies.


In past comments, Trump alleged there is a white genocide occurring in South Africa, something the government has categorically rejected as false and unsupported by evidence.


Ramaphosa stated it is unfortunate that, despite attempts to improve relations, Trump resorts to punitive measures based on misinformation about South Africa.


In another post on Truth Social, Trump claimed South Africa has shown it was not a country worthy of membership anywhere and announced the halt of all US payments and subsidies to South Africa.


Officials in South Africa are urging solidarity among other G20 nations to uphold the integrity of the group and advocate for the rights of member states.


The recent G20 summit, which was held for the first time in Africa, concluded with a joint declaration on multilateral cooperation focused on climate change and economic equality, despite US objections regarding South Africa's leadership in the group.


Additional reporting by Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg.