G20 tensions erupt: US accuses South Africa of 'embedded racism' as Presidency fires back
Washington slams Pretoria's G20 stewardship; Magwenya rebukes Rubio with stinging retort.
Image: File
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has launched a blistering attack on South Africa's leadership ahead of the G20 summit, accusing the ANC-led government of racial hostility, economic decline and abandoning its post-apartheid democratic foundations.
This resulted in swift criticism by Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, who dismissed the remarks with sharp, pointed sarcasm.
The comments come as South Africa hosted the 2025 G20 summit, while the US prepares to assume the presidency of the influential economic bloc in 2026, its first time since 2009.
Rubio said the US-hosted gathering would showcase the strengths of American democracy and economic dynamism, drawing a sharp contrast with South Africa's current political climate.
He framed the 2026 G20 as a moment for the US to reaffirm its founding ideals.
"Next year, the US will host the world's 20 largest economies for the first time since 2009. Coinciding with America's 250th anniversary, the 2026 G20 will be a chance to recognise the values of innovation, entrepreneurship, and perseverance that made America great, and which provide a roadmap to prosperity for the entire world," he said.
Rubio accused the government of rejecting accountability and adopting policies he claims discriminate against Afrikaner citizens.
"Rather than take responsibility for its failings, the radical ANC-led South African government has sought to scapegoat its own citizens and the United States," Rubio added. "As President Trump has rightly highlighted, the South African government's appetite for racism and tolerance for violence against its Afrikaner citizens have become embedded as core domestic policies."
The Presidency has responded with thinly veiled sarcasm, dismissing Rubio's remarks and signalling that South Africa will return its focus to global cooperation once the G20 leadership transitions next year.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya noted that the UK is set to assume the G20 presidency in 2026, implying that Pretoria expects a shift in the tone and substance of international engagement.
"About this time next year, the UK will be taking over the G20 Presidency. We will be able to engage meaningfully and substantively over what really matters to the rest of the world," Magwenya said.
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