Ramaphosa responds to US expulsion

The office of the Presidency says the latest move by the United States to expel South Africa’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool is “regrettable”.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Rasool has been branded persona non grata in the country following an address by the ambassador in which he criticised US president Donald Trump.

In the address, Rasool accused Trump of leading a global white supremacist movement and breaking down established norms and practices when it comes to diplomacy.

The Trump administration received the comments very poorly, with Rubio stating that Rasool is “a race-baiting politician who hates America and (Trump)”, adding that he is no longer welcome in the country.

This represents a further escalation in the diplomatic feud between Washington and Pretoria.

Following the statement, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office urged “all relevant and impacted stakeholders” to maintain the established diplomatic decorum in their engagement on the matter.

It added that South Africa “remains committed to building a mutually beneficial relationship with the United States of America”.

South Africa has had a rough time trying to mend fences between itself and its key trading partner and has found little success under the Trump presidency.

Since taking office in late January 2025, President Trump has targeted the country, signing several executive orders focusing on local policies and stripping it of funding.

Trump took specific aim at South Africa’s land expropriation laws, which he falsely claimed were widely being used to seize land in the country.

He then invited white Afrikaner South African farmers to immigrate to America to escape oppression.

The US has also pulled funding from the country, including AIDS relief and withdrawing from agreements to fund green energy projects like the Just Energy Transition.

The Trump administration also sees South Africa as siding with its enemies and working against its national interests by supporting Hamas in the Israeli war.

South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile said this week that while South Africa should continue to work to repair its relationship with the US, it should also serve as a wake-up call to become less reliant on the US.

He said that the pulling of funding for critical health programmes should stir South Africa to find its own means of funding these initiatives.

The threat of South Africa losing access to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) should also push the country to diversify its trade and export relationships and move away from overreliance on single partners.