Ramaphosa eyes new ambassador to the US
President Cyril Ramaphosa is reportedly set to name his special advisor in investment promotion as South Africa’s next ambassador to the USA.
South Africa has not had an Ambassador in the US since March, when Ebrahim Rasool was deemed persona non grata by the US government after accusing US President Donald Trump of white supremacy.
With Rasool back in South Africa, Business Times has reported that Alistair Ruiters is now being tipped to be the nation’s next ambassador to the US.
Ruiters was appointed to his current role by the president in April and has previously worked in senior roles in both the public and private sectors.
He was the director general of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition between 2000 and 2005.
He was a competition commissioner and served as CEO of the National Empowerment Fund and the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor before moving to the mining group Afarak in 2009.
While he lacks diplomatic experience, Business Times said that his work as part of South Africa’s mission to the US is seen as a plus.
A tough gig
If Ruiters gets the job, he will be faced with a challenging environment, with relationships between the USA and South Africa remaining strained.
In April, US President Donald Trump announced that South Africa would face export tariffs of 30%. While paused for 90-days to make toom for negotiations, the rate came into effect in early August.
Although 35% of South African exports to the US are exempt from tariffs, several other industries are being severely impacted by the move.
On top of this, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) expired on September 30, 2025, ending duty-free access to the US market for many South African exporters.
Last week, DTIC Minister Parks Tau said the negotiations with the USA continue, but no deal has been announced with the world’s largest economy.
On top of economic headwinds, South Africa’s relationship with the US has faced other diplomatic issues outside of Rasool.
Ramaphosa’s special envoy to the US, Mcebisi Jonas, has made no diplomatic headway after a past video clip emerged of him criticising Trump.
Senior US officials have also been against going to South Africa, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio refusing to come to South Africa earlier this year after criticising the nation’s BEE laws.
Trump said that he will not attend the G20 Conference in Johannesburg in November, instead sending his Vice President, JD Vance.
These differences are also starting to be reflected in new potential legislation from the US.
In September, the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act was tabled in the US Senate by Senator John Kennedy.
The Bill looks to explicitly cut South Africa from AGOA, compel Washington to review its relations with Pretoria and sanction members of the ANC.
Further sanctions are also possible after the US State Department added South Africa to a watch list for human trafficking.
A report showed that South Africa was failing in its efforts to tackle forced labour, sex trafficking and other forms of modern-day slavery around the world.
Failure to address the US’s concerns could cause South Africa to be categorised as a Tier 3 country, which are subject to potential non-humanitarian and non-trade sanctions.
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