A White House source has confirmed to SABC News that Vice President JD Vance will not travel to South Africa for the G20 Leaders Summit 2025 and has no international trips planned in the near future.
The statement reaffirms President Donald Trump’s announcement last week that no US government official will attend the summit.
According to the BBC, Trump stated that the United States would boycott the meeting in protest over what he described as the South African government’s “abuse” of white farmers, claims that have been widely dismissed as unfounded.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote:
“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa. Afrikaners are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated. No US government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue.”
South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) responded by calling the claims “regrettable and baseless,” saying they are “unsupported by reliable evidence.”
DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told BBC News that Trump was “orchestrating an imagined crisis using the painful history of South Africa’s colonial past.”
“There is absolutely no evidence of white persecution in South Africa,” Phiri said.
“Crime affects everyone, regardless of their race.” He added that the success of the G20 Summit “will not rest on one member state.”
The boycott marks the first time in the forum’s history that the US will skip a G20 Leaders’ Summit.
The decision comes just days before world leaders gather in Johannesburg from 22 to 23 November for discussions on global economic recovery, climate financing, and security cooperation.
The move has sparked criticism from international observers who argue that Washington’s absence could undermine multilateral engagement at a time when global cooperation is crucial.
Analysts also suggest the decision may further strain diplomatic relations between the US and South Africa following earlier disputes over Pretoria’s stance on international conflicts.
South Africa’s government has maintained that preparations for the G20 Leaders Summit 2025 are continuing as planned, with more than 40 heads of state and international organisations expected to attend.
Despite the controversy, local authorities have also been dealing with unrest in the run-up to the summit, including vandalism of G20 signage and public infrastructure near the Nasrec Expo Centre, which Premier Panyaza Lesufi described as “a deliberate and malicious campaign of sabotage” .
The White House has not issued any further comment beyond the confirmation that neither Trump nor Vance will travel to Johannesburg.
The G20 Leaders Summit 2025 remains scheduled to begin on 22 November.
