Overview
- President Donald Trump said no U.S. officials will attend the Nov. 22–23 G20 in Johannesburg, citing disputed claims of persecution against white Afrikaners.
- President Cyril Ramaphosa responded that the summit will proceed with other leaders and said boycott politics does not work, calling the U.S. absence a loss for Washington.
- South African officials and more than 40 prominent Afrikaners publicly refuted the persecution narrative, while experts note farm attacks are a tiny share of homicides and largely driven by robbery, not race.
- The White House has escalated policy moves against South Africa this year, including suspending aid, prioritizing Afrikaners for refugee slots, imposing tariffs, and expelling diplomats, and U.S. officials signal plans to pare back G20 agendas to core finance when hosting in 2026.
- Argentine media report President Javier Milei will skip the summit and send ministers, a move South Africa’s foreign ministry says it has not officially confirmed, as analysts warn the U.S. no‑show could weaken G20 cooperation and cede diplomatic ground to China.