Trump Continues Disinformation Campaign Against South Africa/By Abayomi Azikiwe

After boycotting the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, the United States administration is saying that President Cyril Ramaphosa is not welcome in Miami for next gathering of the economic grouping

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A recently held meeting of the annual Group of 20 (G20) Summit held in the Republic of South Africa was not attended by the United States President Donald Trump who continues to make false allegations of a “white genocide” inside the country.

In fact, it was the Dutch enslavers and colonists who landed uninvited at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652 and began a process of land theft and labor exploitation which lasted until 1994 when the first nonracial democratic elections were held bringing the African National Congress (ANC) to power.

Even some three decades after the political rise of the African majority in South Africa, the whites still control most of the land and natural wealth inside the country. If the ANC and the current Government of National Unity (GNU) wanted to level the playing field by expropriating all of the farms and mines controlled by the agribusiness interests and transnational corporations, it would clearly be justified as an act of historical reclamation.

Trump even offered political asylum to the purportedly aggrieved white population to come to the U.S. Yet less than 100 whites took up his offer. Undoubtedly, if there was a real situation where the GNU was targeting the white population for liquidation, his offer would have gained far greater currency. (See this.)

In the latest effort to spread false information on South Africa, Trump not only refused to attend the G20 Summit, he illegally stated that their president would not be allowed into the U.S. for the next leadership meeting. This is the same administration which is supporting the genocide against the Palestinians and others in West Asia. The Trump White House has kidnapped and deported migrants from the U.S. to third countries which is a blatant violation of U.S. and international law.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his concluding statement on the G20 Summit and its proceedings over the period of the gathering that:

“It is regrettable that the United States of America, which is a founding member of the G20 and which takes over the Presidency of the G20 from South Africa in 2026, chose not to participate in the G20 Leaders’ Summit and the final meetings leading up to it. It is even more unfortunate that the reasons the US gave for its non-participation were based on baseless and false allegations that South Africa is perpetrating genocide against Afrikaners and the confiscation of land from white people. This is blatant misinformation about our country…. Earlier this week, we formally handed over the G20 Presidency for 2026 to the United States observing the appropriate diplomatic protocols. A few days ago, President Donald Trump made a statement to the effect that South Africa would not be invited to participate in the G20 in the United States.

He repeated untrue statements about genocide against Afrikaners and the confiscation of land from white people in our country. We must make it clear that South Africa is one of the founding members of the G20 and South Africa is therefore a member of the G20 in its own name and right. We will continue to participate as a full, active and constructive member of the G20. Despite the challenges and misunderstandings that have arisen, South Africa remains a firm and unwavering friend of the American people. We recall the great solidarity movement in the United States that stood by our side in our struggle for democracy and freedom.”

Trump’s attacks on South Africa are indicative of their general attitude towards people of the Global South who are attempting to break away from the legacies of enslavement and colonialism imposed by imperialism. The domestic and foreign policies of the current administration have worsened the social conditions of people in the U.S. and around the world.

Recent coalitions such as the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) plus Summit are designed to foster multilateralism and replace the dominance of the U.S. dollar. BRICS Plus is considered an enemy of Washington and Wall Street since it prefigures a new system of international cooperation.

Inside the U.S., people of African descent are being attacked in many sectors of the economy and public services. It has been estimated that 300,000 African American women have lost their jobs since the ascendancy of the second non-consecutive Trump administration. (See this.)

The government has refused to acknowledge the actual history of African Americans, women, Latin Americans, Asians, Arabs, etc. They are threatening museums and higher educational institutions through the suspension of grant funding and the spreading of false information.

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2025 G20 summit attendees (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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What Is the G20?

The Group of 20 was founded in 1999 as a forum for the leading economies around the world. South Africa is a member as well as the African Union (AU) which represents the 55 member-states on the continent.

Although the founders of the grouping said that it was designed to address grave economic crises which erupt periodically, it has not been able to re-correct the damage done in two of the most significant financial meltdowns in recent years. The stock market decline of 2000 was directly related to the failure to monitor the behavior of the transnational corporations which invested heavily in the emerging internet economy. Some seven to eight years later, a financial crisis related to subprime mortgage lending by banks and the theft of homes by “securitized trusts”, has never been rectified by the entities which are responsible.

Millions of people lost their homes during the mid-to-late 2000s and beyond. Municipalities impacted by the so-called “Great Recession” still have not fully recuperated.

The policies of the Trump administration have further institutionalized the massive transferral of wealth from the growing numbers of impoverished people, workers, farmers and youth to the ruling class for the purposes of enrichment and imperialist war. At present in the U.S., the numbers of homeless people are rising while millions are forced to stand in long lines every week to receive surplus food.

Consequently, the people of the U.S. will continue to suffer under the current administration and the overall system of capitalism. Rather than admit to the failures of the existing economic structures to provide adequate food, healthcare, housing and environmental protection to the workers and oppressed, the White House and the MAGA-dominated Congress would rather blame the masses of people for their own immiseration.

MAGA Program Leading to Disastrous Consequences

The two states which were instrumental in the founding of the G20 were the U.S. and Canada. Yet, in the Trumpist iteration of capitalist policy, the nation of Canada has become an adversary to the White House. Trump demanded that Canada relinquish their sovereignty to U.S. imperialism.

Greenland, which is controlled by the Kingdom of Denmark, another capitalist state like Canada, has also been targeted by the administration saying the territory should belong to the U.S. The majority of people living in Greenland are Indigenous which illustrates the racist and imperialist character of the foreign policy of Washington.

These cracks within the imperialist construct are being mirrored domestically as well. The disagreements within the MAGA Republican base around the release of the Epstein files, cuts to healthcare funding, suspensions and reductions of already inadequate SNAP benefits, the deployment of National Guard and Marines in urban areas, etc., portends much for the immediate future of electoral politics and the maintenance of social stability.  With tens of millions suffering from food insecurity, the potential for widespread social unrest is growing on a daily basis.

The ideology and practice of the fascist elites is endangering the majority of the population in the U.S. Consequently, it is imperative that the people organize and mobilize to reverse the current situation. The alternative of not aggressively opposing the existing political order can only result in the displacement and deaths of millions in the U.S. and around the world.

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Abayomi Azikiwe is the editor of the Pan-African News Wire. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG). 

Featured image: Session of the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit (CC BY 4.0)

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