Ramaphosa criticizes Trump’s G20 boycott over land and genocide claims

By Dominic Wabwireh with AP

South African leaders across the political spectrum have condemned the U.S. decision to boycott the upcoming G20 summit, with President Cyril Ramaphosa calling the move a “loss” for Washington and opposition figures decrying the baseless claims about the country that prompted the snub.

President Ramaphosa responded firmly to the U.S. absence, stating, “In my experience in politics, boycotts never really work.

They have a very contradictory effect.” He assured that the summit would proceed without the U.S., emphasizing that “all other heads of state will be here… and their absence is their loss.”

The boycott was announced by former President Donald Trump, who cited widely rejected claims of violent persecution and land confiscation targeting South Africa’s white minority.

Cross-party condemnation of U.S. justification

The U.S. rationale for the boycott was uniformly criticized by South African political leaders.

John Steenhuisen, leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance, expressed concern that Washington was acting on incorrect information, stating it would have been good for U.S. leaders “to see what they’re being fed… is not the reality.”

Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, noted that Trump “knows there is no genocide in South Africa,” attributing the claims to a “tiny minority” peddling lies.

Deepening diplomatic rift at a pivotal moment

The boycott marks a new low in U.S.-South Africa relations, which are at their worst since the end of apartheid in 1994.

The dispute is compounded by South Africa’s genocide case against Israel—a key U.S. ally—at the UN’s top court.

With the U.S. set to assume the G20 presidency from South Africa at year’s end, the diplomatic schism threatens to undermine international cooperation on critical global economic issues, highlighting how misinformation can fuel geopolitical fractures.