US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he will not attend the G-20 summit in South Africa scheduled for February 20-21, citing concerns over South Africa’s newly enacted land-expropriation law, which has also faced criticism from President Donald Trump.
Rubio said in a post on X, “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.”
Rubio’s announcement comes just a few days after U.S. President Donald Trump accused South Africa of seizing land and mistreating ‘certain classes of people,’ vowing to suspend aid over its land reform policy. The U.S. has provided more than $8 billion in bilateral aid to South Africa over the past two decades.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a new law last month that makes it easier for the state to expropriate land in the public interest, requiring only equitable compensation. The legislation seeks to address racial disparities in land ownership that have persisted since the end of apartheid in 1994.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa and is also an ally of former President Donald Trump, labelled the law as “openly racist ownership laws” in a direct response to a tweet by President Ramaphosa.
In his tweet, Ramaphosa argued, “South Africa is a constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice, and equality. The South African government has not confiscated any land.”
“The recently adopted Expropriation Act is not a confiscation instrument, but a constitutionally mandated legal process that ensures public access to land in an equitable and just manner as guided by the constitution,” he stated.
