United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not be attending an upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In a statement on Thursday, February 6 morning, the top U.S diplomat said this is because “South Africa is doing very bad things”.
“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,” Rubio said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, without giving details. “My job is to advance America’s national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism.”
South Africa will host a meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Twenty (G20) — which comprises of 19 countries and two regional bodies, namely the European Union and the African Union — from February 20-21 2025 in Johannesburg.
Under the tutelage of President Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa has the G20 presidency until November 2025.
Rubio’s statement comes days after President Donald Trump threatened to cut off funding to the African country over its land policy.
Controversial land policy
Last month, President Ramaphosa signed into law a bill that allows land seizures without compensation in certain circumstances, with Trump ruing that the policy is “treating certain classes of people very badly”.
More than 30 years after the end of Apartheid, white South Africans — who account for over 7% of the population in South Africa — still own the vast majority of commercial farmland.
South Africa has defended the land policy, insisting that contrary to Trump’s allegations, zero land had been seized.
