The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, said that he would jump the group of 20 (G20) for the interviews in South Africa in the middle of an escalation between Washington and Pretoria for a controversial law on the expropriation of land.
Rubio’s announcement on Wednesday came a few days after US President Donald Trump threatened to reduce South African aid for the adoption of legislation allowing the seizure of land without compensation in certain circumstances.
South Africa, which holds the presidency of the G20 until November 2025, is expected to host a meeting of foreign ministers from February 20 to 21 in Johannesburg.
“South Africa has very bad things. Expropriating private property. Use of the G20 to promote “solidarity, equality, [and] sustainability.’ In other words: DEI and climate change, “said Rubio in a post on X.
“My job is to advance the national interests of America, not to waste taxpayers’ money or a cod anti-American.”
I will not assist at the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
South Africa has very bad things. Expropriating private property. Use the G20 to promote “solidarity, equality and sustainability”. In other words: DEI and climate change.
My work is to advance the national interests of America, not …
– Secretary Marco Rubio (@secrubio) February 5, 2025
Rubio’s announcement was greeted with dismay by the Trump administration criticism.
“This demonstration of weakness harms our national security and our economy while benefiting China,” said Andrew Bates, who was assistant press secretary of the White House under the administration of former American president Joe Biden , in a position on X.
“If you are not at the table, you are on the menu.”
Ian Chong, an associate professor of international relations at the National University of Singapore, said that Rubio’s announcement was aligned with the republican party’s mistrust towards the multilateral international institutions of the Trump era.
“The world has recently seen the Trump administration withdraw from the Paris climate agreements, the World Health Organization and retained the financing of certain organizations of the United Nations system,” Chong told Al Jazeera.
“Rubio not participating in the G20 is consistent with this trend. Note that during Trump’s first term, the United States retained the appointments to the Appeal Organization of the World Trade Organization. This actually blocked the WTO call mechanism. »»
Trump accused the administration of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday on Monday of “confiscation of land” and mistreated “certain classes of people”, causing a refutation from Pretoria.
Ramaphosa said that the law was not an “confiscation instrument” but which is part of a “legal process mandated by the Constitution” which would provide public access to the land in a “fair and just way”.
Under the law signed by Ramaphosa last month, the government can seize land without compensation where it is “fair and fair and in the public interest”, as in cases where property is not used and where it has not been able to reach an agreement with the owner.
Ramaphosa and his African national congress defended legislation as necessary to mitigate the enormous disparities in land ownership resulting from the heritage of the racist apartheid system.
The government has not yet expropriated by land under the law.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party of South Africa and member of the government of national unity led by the ANC, has opposed the law, warning that it undermines the rights of property and could frighten foreign investments.
However, the DA, which attracts most of its support from white, Indian and colorful South Africans (multiral), expressed a “deep concern” concerning Trump’s threat to reduce aid and said it was A false idea that the earth can be seized “arbitrarily”.
Land ownership is a sensitive and polarizing problem in South Africa due to the history of blacks who are forced to leave their land and have refused access to property.
While black South Africans represent more than 80% of the population, they hold only 4% of private agricultural land, according to an audit of the government carried out in 2017.
White South Africans, who mainly come from British and Dutch settlers, hold about three-quarters of the land, although it is offset just over 7% of the population
Trump’s threat to reduce the financing of the African country intervenes while his administration has geling a freeze on almost all foreign aid and put most of the staff of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on leave administrative.
Washington allocated around $ 440 million in South African aid in 2023, according to the most recent government data.
