US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announces he will not be attending G20 summit in South Africa

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced he will not attend the upcoming G-20 summit in Johannesburg, citing strong opposition to South Africa’s newly signed land expropriation bill.

The controversial law allows authorities to seize land for public interest, with or without compensation under specific conditions.

Rubio took to X to make his stance clear, writing, “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.”

Former President Donald Trump also weighed in on Truth Social, calling the bill a “massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum.” He warned, “The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”

In response, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed the criticism, stating, “We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest.”

The tension over land reform has reignited global debates, with South Africa defending its policies amid mounting international scrutiny.