Trump Aligns with Criticism of South Africa's Land Expropriation Policy
Declares Halt to U.S. Aid to South Africa
South African Government Sends SOS to Musk
U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio announced that he will not attend the Group of Twenty (G20) foreign ministers' meeting hosted by South Africa. This move is interpreted as aligning with President Donald Trump's recent decision to cut support to South Africa over its land expropriation policy.
On the 5th (local time), Secretary Rubio wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "I will not attend the G20 meeting held in Johannesburg." He pointed out, "South Africa is doing very bad things. They are expropriating private property and using the G20 to promote 'solidarity, equality, and sustainability.' In other words, they are promoting DEI and climate change (responses)." He added, "My job is to advance the interests of the United States, not to waste taxpayers' money or kindly accept anti-Americanism."
South Africa, the chair country of this year's G20 summit, is scheduled to host the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Johannesburg on the 20th and 21st. Secretary Rubio's absence appears closely related to President Trump's recent declaration to halt support for South Africa.
On the 2nd (local time), President Trump criticized South Africa's land expropriation policy and declared that the U.S. would stop aid to South Africa. On that day, he posted on his social media platform Truth Social, "South Africa is expropriating land and treating certain groups of people very badly," adding, "Until a full investigation of this situation is completed, all future U.S. funding to South Africa will be halted." As of 2023, the U.S. had decided to provide about $440 million (approximately 645 billion KRW) in aid to South Africa.
This criticism is understood to be directed at South Africa's policy of land expropriation without compensation, which is part of efforts to eliminate the remnants of apartheid (racial segregation policy). Earlier, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a law last month allowing the state to expropriate private land without compensation under public interest circumstances.
The "certain groups" mentioned by President Trump are interpreted to mean white people. Although white people make up only 8% of South Africa's population, they own 75% of the land. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and considered a key figure in Trump's circle, is also skeptical of South Africa's land expropriation policy. Musk publicly criticized Ramaphosa, saying he "has openly racist ownership laws."
Following President Trump's announcement to halt support for South Africa, the South African government sought help from CEO Musk. According to CNN, on the 3rd (local time), the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa stated, "President Ramaphosa and Musk had a conversation regarding misinformation and distortions about South Africa."
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