U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Johannesburg on February 20-21, following President Donald Trump’s threat to cut funding to South Africa.

Axar.az, citing Reuters, reports that Trump, without citing evidence, accused South Africa of land confiscation and mistreating certain groups.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa denied the claims, stating the country’s land policies aim to ensure equitable access. The foreign ministry compared them to U.S. eminent domain laws. Rubio criticized South Africa on X, linking its G20 agenda to DEI and climate change, aligning with Trump’s stance against DEI programs.

Land ownership remains contentious in South Africa, where white landowners hold three-quarters of freehold farmland despite Black people making up 80% of the population. In December, Ramaphosa signed a law allowing land expropriation in the public interest. Trump and Elon Musk, a South African-born billionaire, have previously accused South Africa of enacting “racist” ownership laws, though without evidence.