‘We will not be bullied by imperial nostalgia’ – ANC responds to Trump
The African National Congress has condemned US President Donald Trump’s “false, inflammatory, and racially charged remarks” made in a Truth Social post on Friday, 7 November.
“We will not be bullied, defined, or distracted by imperial nostalgia masquerading as concern,” the ANC said in a statement on Saturday.
“His unfounded claims of ‘genocide’ and ‘persecution’ of white South Africans, together with his boycott of the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, are part of a long and disgraceful pattern of imperial arrogance and disinformation.”
In the post, Trump announced that no US representatives would be attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit, which is set to be held in late November.
His reasoning for this was that “Afrikaners are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.”
South Africa’s largest party argued that Trump’s remarks “are not borne of ignorance; they are deliberate attempts to distort the reality of South Africa’s democracy and to mobilise racial fear for political gain in the United States.”
Instead, South Africa is “committed to upholding the rights, safety, and dignity of all our citizens while continuing the difficult but necessary work of redressing the injustices of our past.”
The party added that it refuses to allow the US leader’s divisive and regressive ideology to define the image of both South Africa and the rest of the continent.
“Donald Trump’s continued siding with racist and right-wing movements across the world is well documented and consistent with his dangerous rhetoric,” it said.
“From defending white supremacists at Charlottesville to vilifying African nations as ‘shithole countries,’ his record speaks of a man driven by prejudice, not principle.”
The upcoming summit, hosted under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,” will be the first to be held on the African continent and demonstrates the country’s commitment to global cooperation.
“The success of the summit will not be defined by who refuses to attend, but by the shared determination of nations that believe in multilateralism based on respect and equality among peoples,” the ANC said.
Tensions with Trump escalate
President Donald Trump said on Friday that no U.S. government official would attend the Group of 20 summit in South Africa later this month, because of what he said were “human rights abuses” taking place in the country.
South Africa’s foreign ministry described the decision as “regrettable” and repeated its rejection of Trump’s claims that white Afrikaners face persecution based on their race in the Black-majority country.
“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “Afrikaners (People who are descended from Dutch settlers, and also French and German immigrants) are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.”
“No U.S. Government Official will attend as long as these Human Rights abuses continue. I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida!” Trump said.
Vice President JD Vance, who was expected to attend the Group of 20 world leaders in Johannesburg from 22-23 Novembers, was no longer going, a source familiar with the matter said.
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 U.S. ally’s war in Gaza.
The president last month set the lowest cap on record for U.S. refugee admissions and said those people admitted would be focused largely on white Afrikaners.
South Africa’s foreign ministry said it had taken note of Trump’s “regrettable” post on the platform, and reiterated Pretoria’s oft-stated rejection of the accusation that Afrikaners are subjected to oppression.
“The claim that this community faces persecution is not substantiated by fact,” the ministry said, adding that South Africa’s past of racial inequality gives it the experience to help the world tackle divisions through the G20 platform.
“Our nation is uniquely positioned to champion within the G20 a future of genuine solidarity,” it said, adding that it looked forward to hosting a successful summit.
Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also boycotted a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in South Africa, which has the G20 presidency from December 2024 to November 2025.
The United States is set to take over the G20 presidency from South Africa.
Reporting with Reuters
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“The party added that it refuses to allow the US leader’s divisive and regressive ideology to define the image of both South Africa and the rest of the continent.”
All the anc have done for 30 years is to push regressive ideology, being socialism, which any person with even a moderately functioning brain knows does not work. On top of that the anc is the most divisive element in SA today. And finally, Trump is not wrong. The hellish anc has put BEE, EWC, EE and NHI (nationalizing private health) on the books. And is at this very moment fighting to steal a 34 ha farm valued at between R30-60 million which belongs to a white Africaner. And the anc idiots may think they can function without a supportive USA, but they are so wrong. Pepfar should have taught them a lesson, but of course, the anc cadre cannot be taught. A modicum of brain is required for that.