US Sends South African Ambassador Packing Over ‘Race-Baiting’ Remarks | World News
The United States has removed South Africa’s ambassador, labeling him a “race-baiting politician who is anti-American.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X late Friday that Ebrahim Rasool is “no longer welcome in our great country” due to his “hatred for America and @POTUS [President of the United States].”
“There’s nothing to discuss with him; thus, he is deemed PERSONA NON GRATA,” Mr. Rubio stated.
US-South Africa relations have soured since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.
The former president reduced the country’s financial aid and criticized both its land reforms aimed at addressing racial disparities and its case against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Mr. Trump has asserted, without evidence, that “South Africa is confiscating land” and that certain groups are being “very mistreated” there.
Elon Musk, a close ally and head of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), claimed that white South Africans are suffering from “racist ownership laws”.
The recent legislation, enacted in January, facilitates government expropriation of land for public purposes.
The ambassador’s expulsion followed Mr. Rasool’s remarks during a webinar where he accused Mr. Trump of spearheading a “white supremacist” agenda in America.
Mr. Rubio shared a news article about the webinar along with his announcement.
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Ebrahim Rasool with Nelson Mandela in 1994. Pic: Reuters
US-South Africa relations at ‘lowest point’
Mr. Rasool commenced his second term as US ambassador in January, having previously served in Washington from 2010 to 2015.
The office of South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa called the US decision “regrettable,” emphasizing its commitment to a “mutually beneficial relationship with the country.”
Mr. Rasool has reportedly been barred from meetings with key State Department officials and members of Mr. Trump’s administration, as per news site Semafor.
His pro-Palestinian stance and critique of Israel have reportedly contributed to this exclusion, as stated by an anonymous South African diplomat.
Former US ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard asserted to Reuters that relations between the two nations have reached their “lowest point.”
“There’s too much at stake to avoid working towards the restoration of this partnership,” he remarked.
