South African envoy expelled from US: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has declared that South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, is “no longer welcome” in the country.
In a post on X, Rubio described Rasool as a “race-baiting politician” who “hates America” and former President Donald Trump. “We have nothing to discuss with him, and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA,” Rubio stated. Declaring someone persona non grata (PNG) is a severe diplomatic move that typically forces the individual to leave the host country.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called the decision “regrettable” and reaffirmed his commitment to fostering a “mutually beneficial relationship” between the two nations. His office released a statement urging all stakeholders to uphold diplomatic decorum when addressing the issue.
Still on South African envoy expelled from US: Rubio’s statement referenced an article from right-wing news outlet Breitbart, which covered Rasool’s recent remarks at a think tank event. During his speech, Rasool discussed the political shifts from the Biden to Trump administration, arguing that “Donald Trump is launching an assault on incumbency, mobilizing a supremacist movement both at home and abroad.”
He elaborated that the Make America Great Again movement stems not only from supremacist tendencies but also from demographic shifts in the US, where the white electorate is projected to drop to 48%, potentially creating a minority-majority nation. Rasool suggested that Trump’s policies, such as border wall expansion and mass deportations, are responses to this changing landscape.
He also pointed to Elon Musk’s involvement in far-right British politics and Vice President JD Vance’s meeting with a German far-right leader, questioning the role of Afrikaners in this broader movement. He argued that these efforts project “white victimhood as a dog whistle.”
The diplomatic fallout between the US and South Africa is part of a broader decline in relations. Tensions between the two nations had already existed under the Biden administration, but since Trump’s return to office, the US has taken several punitive measures against South Africa.
One of the key points of contention is South Africa’s land reform policy. In January, the country enacted the Expropriation Act to address historic land ownership disparities caused by apartheid. Under apartheid, non-white South Africans were forcibly removed from their land for the benefit of the white minority. Today, Black South Africans, who make up over 80% of the population, own only about 4% of private land.
The new law allows the government to seize and redistribute land without compensation in certain cases if deemed “just and equitable and in the public interest.” Ramaphosa defended the policy as a means to ensure “fair and equitable access to land.” However, the White House strongly opposes it, and both Trump and Musk argue that it discriminates against white South Africans.
In response, Trump’s administration has taken a firm stance. In February, Rubio announced he would not attend the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Johannesburg, citing South Africa’s land policy and its push for “solidarity, equality, and sustainability” at the G20—concepts he dismissed as “DEI and climate change” initiatives. “My job is to advance America’s national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism,” Rubio asserted.
Shortly after, Trump suspended aid to South Africa, accusing its government of racial discrimination against white farmers. He also issued an executive order to “promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation.”
Earlier this month, Trump reinforced his stan of safety will be invited into the United States of America with a rapid pathway to Citizenship.”ce, stating on social media that “any farmer (with family!) from South Africa seeking to flee that country for reasons
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