Top South African diplomat slams US' Rubio remarks, says world ‘growing weary of double standards’

By Mevlut Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola on Thursday rejected US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments on Pretoria’s G20 presidency and domestic policy, saying the world is “growing weary of double standards.”

The world is “tired of lectures on democracy from those who seem to have forgotten that democracy, at its best, must listen as much as it speaks,” Lamola said in a statement responding to a post by Rubio on the US online platform Substack.

Rubio called the contrast between the US and South Africa’s G20 presidencies “stark” on Wednesday.

He alleged that South Africa ignored Washington's objections to G20 communiques, obstructed its and other countries' input, and interfered with the negotiation process, including releasing the names of US officials, which he claimed harmed the G20's reputation.

He said Trump and the US would not extend an invitation to South Africa for participation in the G20 during its presidency, adding that while “good faith disagreement” is acceptable, “dishonesty or sabotage” is not.

In response, Lamola said it is a "matter of public record" that the US chose not to attend South Africa's G20 meetings and that suggesting South Africa "sabotaged" consensus misinterprets the purpose of such a forum.

“Our role as host was not to force agreement, but to create the conditions for it,” he said.

“When South Africa decides it has made the tough decisions needed to fix its broken system and is ready to rejoin the family of prosperous and free nations, the United States will have a seat for it at our table,” Rubio said.

Lamola said South Africa is a founding member of the G20, and “no single member of the G20 has a unilateral right to exclude South Africa from the G20.”

“In ... spirit of shared humanity and clear-eyed hope, we remain open to dialogue, committed to maintaining our overall relations,” he added.

- ‘No country with land grabs and invasion would reap such success’

Rubio accused Pretoria of “scapegoating” South Africans and the US and alleged “racism and tolerance of violence” toward white Afrikaners, along with land confiscation without compensation, a claim long made by Washington but widely dismissed.

South Africa does not seek US approval for its “path,” Lamola said.

“Our path is our own, chosen by our people and guided by our sovereign laws. But we do seek—and we will always extend—a hand of respectful partnership,” he added.

Lamola also said that while Afrikaner farmers remain central to South Africa’s food security, the farming sector has more than doubled in value since 1994, with significant growth from 2000.

“No country with land grabs and invasion would reap such success,” Lamola highlighted.