Godsent Ogbebor
US Expels South Africa’s Ambassador
The United States has expelled South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, in a move that deepens diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision in a post on X, calling Rasool a “race-baiting politician” who “hates the US and President Donald Trump.” He declared that the ambassador was “no longer welcome in our great country.”
In response, South Africa’s presidency described the move as “regrettable,” emphasizing the country’s commitment to maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with the US.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjmGTzajUoU
The rare expulsion of a high-ranking diplomat follows remarks Rasool made during an online lecture, where he accused Trump of “mobilizing supremacism” and using “white victimhood” as a political tool amid demographic shifts in the US.
He also suggested that South Africa was being targeted because of its historical stance against racial supremacy.
Rubio, in his announcement, labeled Rasool as “persona non grata,” using the diplomatic term for an unwelcome person.
The latest development comes against the backdrop of deteriorating US-South Africa relations since Trump returned to office.
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Last month, the US froze financial assistance to South Africa, citing “unjust racial discrimination” against white Afrikaners. The executive order referenced the Expropriation Act, claiming it unfairly targets white farmers by allowing land seizures without compensation.
A statement from the White House justified the sanctions, saying, “As long as South Africa continues to support bad actors on the world stage and allows violent attacks on innocent disfavored minority farmers, the United States will stop aid and assistance to the country.”
The South African government has rejected these claims, arguing that no land has been seized without compensation except in cases where all legal avenues had been exhausted.
Rasool, who previously served as South Africa’s ambassador to the US from 2010 to 2015, was reappointed in 2024, with sources suggesting that his experience made him well-suited to handling diplomatic relations with the Trump administration.
The diplomatic fallout marks a new low in US-South Africa relations, with no immediate resolution in sight.
