Pretoria says it will continue to build a mutually beneficial relationship with Washington, regardless of the decision
South Africa has called the expulsion of its envoy to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, a “regrettable” move, but says it remains committed to engaging with Washington in order to maintain diplomatic relations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Rasool persona non grata in a post on X on Friday, saying he is no longer welcome in the country. Rubio accused Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician” who hates America and its president, Donald Trump.
In response, South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, said he has taken note of the decision by the Trump administration.
“The Presidency urges all relevant and impacted stakeholders to maintain the established diplomatic decorum in their engagement with the matter. South Africa remains committed to building a mutually beneficial relationship with the United States,” Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement on Saturday.
The action against the diplomat came shortly after he accused Trump in a speech at a South African think tank webinar of leading a “supremacist assault on incumbency” through the ‘Make America Great Again’ campaign.
Tensions between Pretoria and Washington have escalated since Trump took office in January. The US president recently halted all federal funding to South Africa over a controversial land expropriation law, which the African country insists aims to address historical racial disparities in land ownership. Trump claims the legislation violates the rights of white South Africans, who continue to own the majority of farmland despite constituting only about 7% of the population.
The South African government has sought to hold talks with the Trump administration in order to clarify what it calls “misinformation” about the land policy. Last week, Semafor news agency reported that Ambassador Rasool has been unable to secure meetings with American officials.
On Monday, Ramaphosa dismissed claims that his government is being ignored by the White House.
“We cannot be blue-ticked because we are such an important player to the United States of America, as they are an important player to South Africa from a political point of view, from a trade point of view… We cannot be ignored,” he said in response to a question about the situation with Washington.
“A great deal of progress has been made by our ambassador in straightening out the path to ensure that there is meaningful engagement at the diplomatic level,” Ramaphosa said, acknowledging that the diplomat’s expulsion has caused a “hiccup.”
