The United States on Wednesday highlighted several grounds for the decision to exclude South Africa from the 2026 G20 summit to be held in Miami, Florida.
A strongly-worded statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio assures America’s support for the people of South Africa, “but not its radical ANC-led government, and will not tolerate its continued behavior.”
The U.S. government said that in Nelson Mandela, South Africa had a leader who understood that reconciliation and private sector-driven economic growth were catalysts for citizens’ prosperity.
Mandela’s successors, Rubio noted, have replaced reconciliation with “redistributionist policies” that deterred investment and drove the country’s most talented citizens abroad, while racial quotas have crippled the private sector.
Rubio posits that corruption bankrupts South Africa, whose economy “has stagnated under its burdensome regulatory regime driven by racial grievance, and it falls firmly outside the group of the 20 largest industrialized economies.”
According to the diplomat, rather than take responsibility for its failings, the “radical ANC-led South African government” has sought to scapegoat its own citizens and the United States.
Quoting President Donald Trump, Rubio argued that the South African leadership’s “appetite for racism and tolerance for violence against its Afrikaner citizens” has become embedded as core domestic policies.
The Secretary accused the ruling ANC of “enriching itself while the country’s economy limps along, all while South Africans are subject to violence, discrimination, and land confiscation without compensation.”
Rubio further pointed to South Africa’s relationships with Iran, Hamas sympathizers and U.S. adversaries, and slammed the former South African Ambassador for his “hostility” towards America.
Criticizing S/A’s G20 presidency’s focus on climate change, diversity, inclusion, and aid dependency, he protested the relegation of economic growth, U.S. objections to communiques, and U.S. and others’ inputs into negotiations.
“For these reasons, President Trump and the United States will not be extending an invitation to the South African government to participate in the G20 during our presidency,” Rubio declared.
The statement added that Washington is open to talks with Pretoria if it has made “the tough decisions needed to fix its broken system and is ready to rejoin the family of prosperous and free nations.”
The United States boycotted the 2025 G20 summit, which took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from November 22 to 23. It marked the first time an African nation hosted the event.
The U.S. assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 and has announced plans to ease regulatory burdens, unlock affordable and secure energy supply chains, and pioneer new technologies and innovation.
2026 G20 summit: US lists reasons for South Africa’s exclusion