In a dramatic diplomatic move, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has declared South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, persona non grant effectively expelling him from the country.
Rubio, a staunch Trump ally, accused Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician who hates America” and President Trump, doubling down in a scathing post on X. “We have nothing to discuss with him,” Rubio wrote, citing Rasool’s recent comments on Trump’s presidency as justification for the unprecedented diplomatic rebuke.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa swiftly condemned the decision as “regrettable,” reaffirming his government’s commitment to maintaining ties with the US despite the rising tensions. “The Presidency urges all relevant and impacted stakeholders to maintain the established diplomatic decorum,” his office said in a statement.
The move marks a sharp escalation in US-South Africa relations, which have deteriorated under Trump’s second term. The administration has taken a hardline stance against Ramaphosa’s government, with both Trump and his close ally, billionaire Elon Musk, frequently criticizing South Africa’s land reform policies—claiming they unfairly target White farmers.
Rasool’s remarks at a think tank last Friday, where he analyzed policy shifts from Biden to Trump, appear to have been the final straw for Rubio. The declaration of *persona non grata* is one of the strongest diplomatic punishments, usually forcing the targeted official to leave the host country.
- With tensions mounting, the US-South Africa relationship faces an uncertain future, as Trump’s administration continues its punitive approach toward Pretoria.
