Wadephul criticizes Trump's disinvitation of South Africa from G20 summit in Florida

The G20 round of leading industrialized and emerging economies is considered one of the most important multilateral political formats. South Africa is a founding member. The previous G20 summit in Johannesburg at the end of 2025 was, in Wadephul's assessment, highly successful.

Background of the conflict between Washington and Pretoria

Trump had previously announced that South Africa would be excluded from the next G20 summit planned for December in the USA. The background is an accusation by the US president that a genocide against white farmers is taking place in South Africa. This characterization is firmly rejected by experts and the South African government.

The USA had already boycotted the G20 summit in Johannesburg at the end of 2025. With the now announced disinvitation of South Africa for the summit in Florida in December, the conflict between Washington and Pretoria enters a new round.

Wadephul also emphasized that South Africa is a determined advocate of the rules-based order and multilateralism. In times of growing global economic uncertainty, more cooperation is needed, not less.

South Africa's reaction to the disinvitation

The German foreign minister announced that he would personally raise Pretoria's concerns at the summit in Florida. Germany will not boycott the G20 summit, but will speak on behalf of South Africa. It cannot be in anyone's interest to push an important African voice and a regional leading power aside, he said.

Lamolla, for his part, expressed gratitude for the German position. He praised the principled support for an inclusive G20 summit. At the same time, he formulated a fundamental criticism of Washington's approach. Wir sind doch nicht irgendein Land, das man ein- oder auslädt. Wir sind G20-Gründungsmitglied.

The South African foreign minister also questioned the nature of the planned meeting. Ist das dann wirklich ein G20-Gipfel, wenn ein Gründungsmitglied fehlt? Wollt ihr das so nennen? At the same time, he stressed that no country can unilaterally decide to withdraw an invitation from a founding member of the G20.

South Africa also showed itself open to dialogue and declared that it would participate in the summit in Florida if the USA issues an invitation. Lamolla also made clear that Pretoria does not expect Germany to stay away from the meeting in favor of South Africa.

Wadephul's appearance in Johannesburg

Wadephul also addressed South Africa's disinvitation during a political speech to students at the South African Institute of International Affairs at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. There he called South Africa the voice of Africa and the Global South.

Beyond South Africa, the German foreign minister also commented on other foreign policy issues. He warned that Iran is violating freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz by mining and by firing on ships, as has now occurred.

Other foreign policy topics of the trip

Wadephul also pointed to the severe consequences of the Iran war for Africa: On the continent, the impacts are being massively felt in the areas of fuel, fertilizers, and food.

The Middle East conflict was also addressed. Wadephul said he speaks critically with his Israeli colleague about settler activities in the West Bank. At the same time, he pointed to Germany's position on the Gaza war, which recognizes Israel's right to self-defense.

UN Security Council reform and African demands

In the dispute over UN Security Council reform, Wadephul spoke out in favor of permanent African representation in the most powerful UN body. There is no representative UN without an African seat on the Security Council. The African UN group is demanding at least two permanent seats with veto power as well as two additional non-permanent seats.

Germany had unsuccessfully applied for a seat on the UN Security Council in June and lost out to Portugal and Austria. According to Wadephul, the German government supports African reform plans for the Security Council.

Wadephul also expressed confidence that the interruption would not be permanent and that South Africa could participate again as a full member in the G20 framework next year.

Significance of the trip for the multilateral order

The statements come at a time that Wadephul himself described as a crisis of multilateralism. With his four-day trip to Africa, which included three African states, the German foreign minister sought dialogue on global reforms and the role of Africa in the world order. After the meeting in Pretoria, Wadephul will return to Berlin, where vacation and a special parliamentary group meeting are on the agenda.

The direct flight distance between Wadephul's home region on the Kieler Bucht and the Cape of Good Hope is around 10,000 kilometers. This distance was cited by the minister as a symbol of the geographic and political distance that must be bridged in the dialogue between Europe and Africa.