'Will PM Modi take up South Africa's cause?' Congress hits out after Trump's rant; US 'bars' Pretoria from G20

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking whether he would take up South Africa’s cause with his “good friend” Donald Trump.

This comes after the US President announced that South Africa would not be invited to next year’s G20 Summit in Miami.




In a post on X, Ramesh wrote: "President Trump has announced that South Africa will not be a part of the next G20 Summit in the USA. The Prime Minister is the self-proclaimed champion of both Africa and the Global South. Will he take up South Africa's cause with his good friend and ensure that it will get to attend the next G20 Summit - as it is perfectly entitled to?"



Earlier, on Wednesday, in a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that he would block South Africa’s participation in the 2026 summit, which will be hosted by the United States.

"Therefore, at my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20, which will be hosted in the Great City of Miami, Florida next year," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

In his post, Trump added that Washington has suspended all payments and subsidies to Pretoria. He claimed the South African government was failing to address alleged human rights abuses against white communities, accusations that Pretoria has firmly rejected.

Ramesh said that South Africa has been a G20 member from the very beginning because it is the continent’s largest economy by GDP, not because of any favour from the US. He stressed that the country has been a “valued presence” in every G20 Summit since the first meeting in Washington DC in 2008.

The Congress leader also highlighted the deep ties between India and South Africa, through groupings such as BRICS, IBSA and BASIC and referred to India’s historic role in supporting the anti-apartheid struggle.

“South Africa and India share a special relationship. They are part of the original BRICS group also involving Brazil, Russia, and China. They are also part of IBSA along with Brazil and of BASIC as well along with Brazil and China."

Ramesh also invoked historical ties between India and South Africa, highlighting the shared legacy of struggle and cooperation.

“It has often been remarked that an Indian lawyer went to South Africa in the late 19th century and returned home as a revolutionary in the early years of the 20th century to lead India’s independence movement,” he further wrote, referring to Mahatma Gandhi.

Another senior Congress leader, Anand Sharma, also criticised Trump’s decision, calling it a violation of the G20’s founding principles of equality among nations. He urged India to take a “firm position” and rally the Global South against “new imperialism.”

"It is an insult to the African continent and the Global South. India has a moral duty to take a firm position and mobilise the Global South to collectively reject the new imperialism," Sharma said.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa labelled Trump’s move “regrettable”, saying it was driven by misinformation rather than diplomatic engagement. His office clarified that South Africa had lawfully handed over G20 presidency responsibilities to a US Embassy representative at the Johannesburg Summit earlier this year.
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