US President Donald Trump with President Cyril Ramaphosa. File photo.Image: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Trump says he may skip G20 summit in SA, cites policy disapproval

by · TimesLIVE

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he might skip the Group of 20 (G20) leaders' summit in South Africa in November and send someone else to represent the US, citing his disapproval of South African policies.

“I think maybe I'll send somebody else because I've had a lot of problems with South Africa. They have some very bad policies,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Trump has taken issue with South African domestic and foreign policies, ranging from its land policy to its case accusing Israel of genocide in the US ally's war in Gaza.

He signed an executive order in February to cut US financial assistance to South Africa. In May, Trump confronted President Cyril Ramaphosa with false claims about a white genocide and land seizures during a White House meeting.

Earlier this year, secretary of state Marco Rubio boycotted a G20 foreign ministers' meeting in South Africa, which has the G20 presidency from December 2024 to November 2025.

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Washington, under Trump and former president Joe Biden, has complained about the case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice, where it accused Israel of genocide over its military assault in Gaza.

Israel's assault has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and also led to accusations of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denied the accusations and cast its Gaza offensive as self-defence after a deadly October 2023 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and in which more than 250 were taken hostage.

Diplomatic relations between the US and South Africa have also been strained under Trump due to the government's BEE policies to address the legacy of centuries of racial inequality.

Ramaphosa, who has urged Trump to attend the G20 summit, rejected Washington's claims that South Africa will use its land policy to arbitrarily confiscate white-owned land.

Reuters

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