We will not be bullied: Ramaphosa hits back at Trump

President Cyril Ramaphosa took aim at the United States on Thursday, stressing that nations must be treated as equals and should not be bullied on the global stage.

His remarks came amid tensions over the G20 Summit, where the incoming host nation, the US, has boycotted South Africa’s leadership summit and cautioned against adopting a consensus declaration without its input.

Speaking to reporters in Boksburg on 20 November, Ramaphosa expressed optimism about the summit’s outcomes.

“The talks are going extremely well. I’m confident we’re moving towards the declaration, and they are now just dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s,” he said when asked if a declaration would be issued.

When pressed about the absence of the US, he added, “Well, without the United States, the whole process of the G20 is moving forward. We will not be bullied. We won’t agree to being bullied.”

He stressed that with the G20 representing two-thirds of the world’s population, all nations deserve a voice.

“It cannot be that a country’s geographical location or income level or army determines who has a voice, and who is spoken down to,” said Ramaphosa.

“It basically means there should be no bullying of one nation by another nation. We are all equal.”

Receiving the summit’s social declaration from civil society groups, Ramaphosa emphasised that, despite global headwinds and shifting geopolitics, tackling inequality must remain central to the G20 agenda.

This marks only the second social summit of the G20 programme, an initiative launched by Brazil during its presidency last year.

While the social summit may not be formally included in next year’s G20 programme, Ramaphosa suggested that the inputs from civil society have become a guiding compass for the bloc.

US boycotting South Africa’s G20

The summit follows US President Donald Trump’s sharp criticism of South Africa, declaring it “shouldn’t even be in the G’s anymore” and announcing he will boycott the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit.

Speaking in Miami earlier this month, Trump conflated South Africa with South American nations in a broader attack on what he called “communist tyranny.”

Trump’s claims, echoing a 2018 controversy in which he ordered an investigation into alleged “large-scale killing of farmers,” have been widely debunked.

The South African government has dismissed these claims, saying that while farm attacks are a real issue, they affect all racial groups.

The remarks come amid strained U.S.-South Africa relations, intensified by Pretoria’s International Court of Justice case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and its growing BRICS ties.

South African officials have called Trump’s statements “misinformed and inflammatory,” stressing the need for constructive engagement on global challenges rather than rhetoric that undermines multilateral institutions.

Spokesperson Chrispin Phiri of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation told Newsday that:

“Drawing on our own journey from racial and ethnic division to democracy, South Africa is uniquely positioned to champion within the G20 a future of genuine solidarity,” where shared prosperity addresses inequalities and promotes sustainability across Africa.

Preparations for the G20 continue unabated, with the leaders summit set to kick off on 22 November, which Newsday will be closely following.