Will PM Modi take up South Africa's cause with 'good friend' Trump: Congress

New Delhi: With US President Donald Trump announcing that he is barring South Africa from participating in next year's G20 summit in Miami, the Congress on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the "self-proclaimed champion" of both Africa and the Global South and asked whether he will take up South Africa's cause with his "good friend".

Trump said Wednesday that he is barring South Africa from participating in the Group of 20 summit next year in Miami and will "stop all payments and subsidies" to the country over its treatment of a US government representative at this year's global meeting.

Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said South Africa has been in the G20 from the very beginning simply because it is the largest economy measured by size of GDP in the African continent.

"It is not there because the US is doing it some favour. It was very much present at the very first G20 Summit held in Washington DC that was chaired by President George W. Bush and has been a valued presence in all subsequent G20 Summits," Ramesh said on X.

Noting that South Africa and India share a special relationship, the Congress leader said 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, he said.

"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," Ramesh said, referring to Mahatma Gandhi.

India was in the forefront in the global campaign against apartheid in South Africa for decades and fought hard for its decolonisation, he pointed out and added Nelson Mandela is an iconic figure to Indians as well.

"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?" Ramesh said.

Trump chose not to have an American delegation attend the recent summit hosted by South Africa, saying he did so because white Afrikaners were being violently persecuted -- a claim that South Africa rejected as baseless.

The Republican president, in a social media post, said South Africa had refused to hand over its G20 hosting responsibilities to a senior representative of the US Embassy when the summit ended over the weekend.

"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 posted on Truth Social.

"South Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere," he said, adding, "and we are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately."