In an extraordinary diplomatic development, Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States, has been officially declared persona non grata by the United States government. This decision, announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, effectively revokes Rasool’s diplomatic privileges and signals that he is no longer welcome in the country.
Rubio made the announcement via a post on the social media platform X, marking a significant escalation in tensions between Washington and Pretoria. His statement read:
“South Africa’s ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country. We have nothing to discuss with him, and so he is considered persona non grata.”
Although Rubio did not explicitly provide detailed reasons for the decision in his initial post, he included a link to a Breitbart news story. The linked article discussed recent comments made by Rasool during a webinar organised by the South African think tank, Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA). Rasool’s critical remarks about the Trump administration appear to have triggered this strong diplomatic reaction.
During the webinar, Rasool sharply criticised former President Donald Trump’s policies, accusing him of stoking division both domestically and internationally. Rasool stated:
“What Donald Trump is launching is an assault on incumbency, those who are in power, by mobilizing a supremacism against the incumbency – at home and… abroad as well.”
He further described Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement as:
“a response not simply to a supremacist instinct, but to very clear data that shows great demographic shifts in the USA.”
Rasool also linked Trump’s political strategy to broader international trends, claiming that it was deliberately spreading overseas. He remarked:
“I think that there is also an export of the revolution,”
adding that it was
“no accident that Elon Musk has involved himself in UK politics”
and highlighting that
“Vice President Vance addressed the Alternative for Germany [AfD] to strengthen them in their election campaign.”
Secretary Rubio’s declaration included a personal criticism of Rasool, branding him a
“race-baiting politician”
who allegedly holds animosity towards Americans, particularly former President Trump. As of now, the South African government has not officially responded to these serious allegations or to the diplomatic measures taken by Washington.
This expulsion marks a rare occurrence in the diplomatic relations between the United States and other nations. Typically, persona non grata declarations are reserved for lower-ranking diplomats involved in controversial activities or espionage, rather than senior ambassadors. The last instance in which the United States made a similar decision against an ambassador was in 2008. At that time, the US government expelled Bolivia’s ambassador, a response to Bolivia’s removal of the US envoy Philip Goldberg, who had been accused of interfering in Bolivian domestic politics.
This unprecedented diplomatic rift occurs amidst rising tensions between the United States and South Africa, exacerbated recently by Trump’s decision to cut aid to Pretoria. The aid reduction followed South Africa’s contentious land expropriation policy, designed to redistribute land ownership from white to black farmers. The US administration claimed this law discriminated against white South Africans, citing concerns over fairness and human rights.
However, the South African government has consistently defended its policy as necessary for correcting historical inequalities. Currently, approximately 7% of South Africa’s population, primarily white farmers, still controls the majority of agricultural land. Pretoria aims to rectify this imbalance, setting a clear target of transferring ownership of 30% of farmland to black farmers by 2030.
As tensions continue to rise, the absence of an official response from Pretoria leaves several key questions unanswered. Observers will closely monitor how South Africa’s government addresses this diplomatic setback and what implications it may hold for future US-South Africa relations.
In considering Ambassador Rasool’s expulsion, an essential question emerges: Should South Africa reciprocate by declaring the US ambassador persona non grata as a stance in defence of freedom of speech and diplomatic independence?
