Senior US diplomat to attend G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Joburg after Rubio snub

JOHANNESBURG - While new US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has made it clear he will not attend this week’s G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Johannesburg, his country will be represented by a senior diplomat.

A US embassy official has confirmed to EWN that Dana Brown will attend the meeting set to take place on Thursday and on Friday at Nasrec.

Rubio rejected the invite for the gathering on X, citing unfounded claims that South Africa was expropriating private property.

He further claimed that the country was using the G20 to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as climate change.

Rubio, in rejecting an invite to this week’s foreign ministers' meeting, said his job was to advance America’s national interests and not waste taxpayers' money or to coddle anti-Americanism.

While diplomatic ties between South Africa and the US remain tense, the American embassy said it would be represented at this week’s G20 foreign ministers' meeting with the presence of senior diplomat, Brown.

The embassy said it sees the G20 meetings as an opportunity to ensure that global economic cooperation and investment serve America's priorities.

The meeting is part of South Africa's preparations for the upcoming G20 summit later this year.