South Africa misses G20 sherpa meeting following Trump disinvitation over 'white genocide' conspiracy theory

South Africa has not attended the first Sherpa and Finance Track meetings ahead of next year's G20 summit in Miami, following Donald Trump's disinvitation of the continent's largest economy, seen widely as political punishment.

Trump invited Poland in its place.

The meetings, held in Washington on Monday and Tuesday, give sherpas — representatives of heads of government — an opportunity to discuss progress, key priority areas, and collective outcomes ahead of the leaders' summit in November.

The absence follows deepening tensions between Pretoria and Washington, with South African officials blaming unfounded allegations, unilateral actions by the United States, and what they describe as political retaliation linked to South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

US Government officials have criticised South Africa’s policies, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterising its government as pursuing a “radical agenda”.

But legal scholar and international relations analyst Professor Patrice Lumumba told The New Arab South Africa has an unquestionable right to attend the 2026 summit by virtue of its founding membership and dismissed Trump's claims of a “white genocide”  in his country as extremist propaganda.

“The allegation of white genocide in South Africa is not new. It did not arise in a university seminar or a human rights report. It grew in the swamp of extremist propaganda among people who are still angry that majority rule came to South Africa at all,” Lumumba said.

“Do violent crimes happen on farms? Yes. Are farmers being killed? Yes. Is that a tragedy? Absolutely. But crime in South Africa does not discriminate kindly. Black people are killed in squatter camps, on trains, in taxis and in villages. Violence is a national disease, not an ethnic policy. There is no government programme to eliminate white people. There is no parliamentary resolution to wipe out Afrikaners. There is no executive order declaring war on a race.”

He warned that elevating such claims into official foreign policy risks destabilising multilateral institutions.

“When this falsehood is taken from the fringe and installed at the heart of foreign policy, what do we see? We see a president in Washington using it to justify boycotting a summit and threatening that South Africa will not be invited to the next G20 meeting on American soil. Acting as if G20 membership is a favour he can grant or withdraw like an invitation to his private golf course. Membership of the G20 is not a certificate of sainthood,” he said.

Civil society figures have also framed the dispute as retaliation for South Africa’s legal action against Israel. Tebogo Mashilompane, leader of the Forum for South Africa, said President Donald Trump was punishing South Africa for refusing to drop its ICJ case.

“Donald Trump is trying to mix and complicate issues here. First, he spoke of the genocide against Afrikaner farms. Secondly, when he realised that there was a strong pushback and lack of evidence, he decided to amplify the same propaganda and use it as a way to avoid attending the G20 in South Africa,” Mashilompane told The New Arab.

“When he realised that his threats of not attending did not cause panic in South Africa, he decided to test the strength of the presidency and the South African government. He sent a junior official to represent the US and to accept the next G20 presidency on behalf of the country. We all know by now that the issue is not white genocide, but South Africa’s deteriorating relations with Israel due to Pretoria taking Israel to the International Court of Justice.”

Mashilompane also cited the revocation of the US visa of former foreign minister Naledi Pandor, who spearheaded the ICJ case against Israel, as further evidence of political retaliation.

“And the good thing currently is that countries like China have already shown a strong desire to trade effectively with South Africa. China is an economy that is growing from strength to strength. It is self-sufficient and has become a reliable partner across many sectors. Working and learning from economies that grew from nothing to something will be a great journey for South Africa,” he said.

The disinvitation was announced in November, triggering severe backlash from South Africa and other nations.

Germany and other partners have said they will engage Washington on South Africa’s behalf, stressing that Pretoria’s place at the G20 table matters not only for South Africa but also for broader African representation in global economic governance.

At the time, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola said South Africa would “not show up at the 2026 G20 Summit in Florida without an invite,” but rejected calls for a retaliatory boycott, arguing that engagement, rather than isolation, remains the best path forward for the global forum.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has repeatedly rejected claims by the United States that South Africa is engaged in human rights abuses.

Addressing parliament on 30 November, Ramaphosa stressed that South Africa has no discriminatory laws or policies targeting any race or creed and reaffirmed that Pretoria would continue pursuing its genocide case against Israel at the ICJ, regardless of the current ceasefire.

“We must make it clear that South Africa is one of the founding members of the G20 and South Africa is therefore a member of the G20 in its own name and right. We will continue to participate as a full, active and constructive member of the G20,” Ramaphosa said.

“As a country, we are aware that the stance taken by the US administration has been influenced by a sustained campaign of disinformation by groups and individuals within our country, in the US and elsewhere.”

He accused a section of South Africans of spreading false narratives that undermine national interests, destroy jobs and weaken relations with the United States, one of South Africa’s most important partners.

Ramaphosa also said South Africa’s judiciary remains independent and capable of upholding the constitution and defending the rights of all citizens, adding that domestic challenges must be resolved internally.

“We have now embarked on a National Dialogue, where all South Africans from all walks of life, all races and creeds are invited to forge a new future for our country. And so we invite those who are spreading misinformation about our country to bring their concerns and their solutions to the National Dialogue,” he said.

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni dismissed suggestions that Pretoria should lobby Washington to reverse its position, emphasising sovereignty and mutual respect.

“Why should we plead with the US? We’re not in the business of pleading with the US. We’re a sovereign state that can take their decisions,” she said.

“We will take the decisions that are in the interests of South Africans and we acknowledge that the US is a very strategic trading partner. That’s why we continue to engage with them on trade-related matters and issues of mutual interest.”

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation warned that excluding a founding member undermines the legitimacy of the G20 itself. Spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said South Africa’s commitment to the forum’s principles remains firm.

“As a founding member, our commitment to the G20’s principles and collaborative framework remains steadfast. We are confident that all members recognise that the strength and legitimacy of the forum derive from its established composition and shared adherence to its founding protocols.

“Any unilateral departure from this consensus would not only fragment our collective agenda but would inevitably set a precedent, introducing a new and destabilising variable into the calculus of membership for every nation present.”

Julius Malema, leader of black nationalist party, Economic Freedom Fighters, has urged international solidarity and called for a boycott of the Miami summit to protest South Africa’s exclusion.

Relations between South Africa and the United States have deteriorated since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Tensions escalated after Washington boycotted the G20 summit hosted by South Africa in Johannesburg in November, the first such meeting held on African soil.

Trump justified the boycott by repeating unfounded claims that South Africa had failed to address alleged human rights abuses against white Afrikaners. The US has since convened planning meetings without South African representatives.

Most recently, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer indicated that South Africa could face different, potentially less favourable treatment under US trade initiatives such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act, signalling possible economic pressure alongside the diplomatic dispute.