Washington DC: On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he would not attend the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, citing concerns over the country's policies, particularly land reforms and its "anti-American."
The 72nd Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in his recent X post about his stance against attending the G20 summit that is to take place in Johannesburg. The summit is scheduled for February 20-21, 2024, and South Africa will hold the G20 presidency from December 2024 to November 2025.
The tweet read: "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."
This decision follows sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump regarding South Africa's land policies. Trump had previously announced the cessation of all US financial aid to the country, claiming that its land reform efforts constituted a human rights violation. His remarks align with comments by Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, who has asserted that the South African government exhibits anti-white sentiments.
Elon Musk responded with two US Flag emoticons to the tweet uploaded by Rubio supporting his stance on not being a part of G20 Summit that is scheduled to be held in Johannesburg.
Trump emphasized the severity of the situation in South Africa during a recent press conference, accusing the government of "awful acts" like land seizure under the new Expropriation Act. Enacted last month by President Cyril Ramaphosa, this law enables the government to acquire underutilized land to rectify historical injustices stemming from apartheid.
Trump's tweet on South Africa confiscating land | X (@dramadelinquent)
Despite this, Trump reaffirmed his stance on social media, insisting that South Africa is “treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY," and committed to halting future US funding pending further investigation.
In response, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa refuted Trump’s claims, stressing that no land had been taken and expressing willingness to engage with the Trump administration for clarification.
The G20 Presidency is passed on annually among its members and is chosen from a different regional group of nations. Consequently, the 19 member nations are split into five groups, with each containing no more than four countries.
Typically, groups are created on a regional basis, meaning that countries from the same area are generally placed in the same group.
Only Group 1 (Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and the United States) and Group 2 (India, Russia, South Africa, and Turkiye) are exceptions to this trend. Group 3 consists of Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico; Group 4 consists of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom; and Group 5 consists of China, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea.
