Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused Pretoria of going against Washington on “issue after issue after issue”
The US will not participate in upcoming G20 events hosted by South Africa, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Tuesday.
The decision, first reported by the media last week, comes amid growing tensions between the two nations. The administration of US President Donald Trump has accused South Africa of enabling what it called a racially motivated “genocide,” a claim President Cyril Ramaphosa has dismissed as a “completely false narrative.”
Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio cited several reasons for the boycott, including that the agenda of the events fails to “reflect the priorities of this administration.” He added that South Africa broadly aligns itself with countries such as Iran and China, which the US views as strategic rivals.
”When one country is consistently unaligned with the United States on issue after issue after issue after issue – now you have to make conclusions about it,” the secretary of state said.
Rubio also criticized Pretoria’s stance on Israel, describing it as “not just off balance but completely geared towards one side.”
In 2023, South Africa filed a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide over its military actions in Gaza. The court issued an injunction against Israel in January 2024, which the Israeli government has ignored.
The hostilities were triggered by a deadly October 2023 incursion led by the Palestinian militant group Hamas and has since escalated into a broader regional crisis. Israeli officials have described their recently relaunched military campaign as an effort to “conquer” Gaza.
Rubio’s remarks came as Ramaphosa arrived in Washington in an effort to “reset and revitalize bilateral relations,” according to a statement from his office. The South African leader is expected to meet President Trump on Wednesday to discuss trade proposals put forward by his government.
