US expels South African ambassador amid diplomatic tensions
The United States has expelled South Africa’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, labeling him a “race-baiting politician who hates America.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision on X late Friday, stating that Rasool is “no longer welcome in our great country” due to his alleged hostility toward America and President Donald Trump. “We have nothing to discuss with him, and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA,” Rubio wrote.
Relations between the US and South Africa have been tense since Trump’s return to the White House in January. The Trump administration cut financial aid to South Africa and has criticized the country’s land policies and its genocide case against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Trump has claimed, without evidence, that “South Africa is confiscating land” and that “certain classes of people” are being treated “very badly.” His close ally, Elon Musk, who heads the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has also condemned what he calls “racist ownership laws” in South Africa.
The decision to expel Rasool follows his remarks in a webinar, where he accused Trump of leading a “white supremacist” movement in America. Rubio cited a news report on the webinar in his announcement.
US-South Africa Relations at ‘Lowest Point’
Rasool, who began his second tenure as ambassador in January after previously serving from 2010 to 2015, has been excluded from meetings with key US State Department officials and members of the Trump administration, according to news website Semafor.
His pro-Palestinian stance and criticism of Israel are reportedly factors behind his removal, an anonymous South African diplomat told Semafor.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office called the US decision “regrettable” and reiterated its commitment to maintaining a “mutually beneficial relationship” with Washington.
Former US Ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard told Reuters that diplomatic ties between the two nations have reached their “lowest point.”
“There’s too much at stake to not work towards the repair of this partnership,” Gaspard said.
Credit: Sky News
