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US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Wednesday said that he will not attend the upcoming
G20 summit
in South Africa, citing concerns over the country’s policies, including land reforms and its “anti-American stance.”
In a post on X, Rubio said: “I will NOT attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg. South Africa is doing very bad things. Expropriating private property. Using G20 to promote “solidarity, equality, & sustainability.” In other words: DEI and climate change."
“My job is to advance America’s national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism,” he added.
South Africa is set to host the G20 summit in Johannesburg on 20-21 February. The country holds the
G20 presidency
from December 2024 to November 2025.
Trump targets South Africa, Musk doubles down
Rubio’s decision comes just days after US President Donald Trump slammed South Africa’s land policies. Earlier this week,Trump said he would cut all US funding to the country, calling its land reform efforts a “human rights violation.” His move follows years of claims—mainly from DOGE (Department of government efficiency) head Elon Musk—that South Africa’s government is anti-white, a claim that has been widely disproven.
“Terrible things are happening in South Africa. The leadership is doing some terrible things, horrible things,” Trump said in a press briefing. “They’re taking away land, they’re confiscating land, and actually they’re doing things that are perhaps far worse than that," the 47th president added.
Trump's main criticism is South Africa's recently passed
Expropriation Act
, signed into law by President
Cyril Ramaphosa
last month. The law allows the government to take land in certain cases where it is underutilised or where redistribution is in the public interest. It aims to address injustices from the apartheid era when Black South Africans were forcibly removed from their land. Trump has repeatedly criticised the policy.
Ramaphosa rejects Trump’s claims
Responding to Trump’s remarks, Ramaphosa said on Monday that no land had been confiscated and insisted that the US president’s comments were inaccurate. He also expressed willingness to “engage” with the Trump administration to clarify the law. South Africa’s government later said that US officials misunderstood the legislation.
Trump, however, doubled down on his position, writing on Truth Social that South Africa was “treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY." He vowed to halt all future US funding until further investigation.
Trump’s stance on South Africa comes amid his ongoing trade disputes, including recent tariffs on China and Canada.
