United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that he will not attend the upcoming Group of 20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, citing concerns over what he described as “anti-Americanism” and controversial land expropriation policies. The decision comes amid escalating diplomatic tensions between Washington and Pretoria, particularly over a recently passed law that allows for the seizure of land without compensation in specific circumstances.
South Africa, which currently holds the Group of 20 presidency until November 2025, is set to host the high-level diplomatic summit from February 20 to 21. However, Marco Rubio, who serves as United States President Donald Trump’s top diplomat, dismissed the event, arguing that South Africa was using the platform to promote policies that do not align with American interests.
“South Africa is doing very bad things. Expropriating private property. Using Group of 20 to promote ‘solidarity, equality, and sustainability.’ In other words: diversity, equity, and inclusion and climate change,” Marco Rubio wrote in a social media post on Wednesday. “My job is to advance America’s national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism.”
The decision to skip the summit has been met with criticism from various quarters, including from former officials of the Joseph Biden administration. Andrew Bates, who served as White House senior deputy press secretary under President Joseph Biden, expressed dismay over Marco Rubio’s move, stating that it could harm United States foreign policy. “This show of weakness hurts our national security and economy while benefiting China,” Andrew Bates wrote. “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”
The diplomatic rift between the United States and South Africa intensified earlier this week when Donald Trump accused South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government of “confiscating land” and mistreating “certain classes of people.” President Cyril Ramaphosa rejected the allegations, explaining that the law was a “constitutionally mandated legal process” intended to address land inequality and ensure fair access to property.
The law, signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa last month, allows for land expropriation without compensation in cases where it is deemed “just and equitable and in the public interest.” The South African government maintains that this measure is necessary to address the historical land dispossession that occurred under apartheid, which left Black South Africans—who make up over 80% of the population—with just 4% of privately owned farmland, according to a 2017 government audit. In contrast, white South Africans, who make up around 7% of the population, still own nearly three-quarters of the country’s land.
While the ruling African National Congress has defended the legislation as essential for economic justice, the Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s main opposition party and a member of the national unity government, has warned that the law could undermine property rights and deter foreign investment. Despite opposing the policy, the Democratic Alliance has also criticized Donald Trump’s threat to cut aid to South Africa, calling it a misconception that land can be seized arbitrarily.
Donald Trump’s warning follows his administration’s broader foreign aid freeze, which has placed most United States Agency for International Development employees on administrative leave and halted nearly all overseas assistance programs. The United States allocated approximately $440 million in aid to South Africa in 2023, a sum that is now at risk as part of Donald Trump’s foreign policy shift.
As tensions continue to rise, South Africa’s diplomatic relations with the United States face increasing uncertainty. While the South African government insists that the land reform law aligns with constitutional principles, the Donald Trump administration has taken a hardline stance, signaling a potential strain in economic and political ties between the two nations.
