The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio said South African Ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool is “no longer welcome in our great country”.
Rubio who stated this in an X post on Friday night following a controversial remark from the South African diplomat said Rasool is considered persona non grata in the US.
“Ebrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates POTUS,” he said, using the acronym for President of the United States. He added, “We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA.”
At a foreign policy seminar held on Friday in his home country, the South African Ambassador told participants that US President Donald Trump was leading a white supremacist movement in America and around the world, right-wing media outlet Breitbart reports.
Rasool was attempting to explain the US President’s recent foreign policy stances against South Africa’s property expropriation legislation when he made the remark.
He also castigated Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, noting that Trump mobilised a “supremacist instinct” and “white victimhood” as a “dog whistle” in the 2024 election.
Rasool, who previously served as South African Ambassador to the US from 2010 to 2015 under Obama, returned to the role this January.
However, his return comes at a time of heightened tensions between both nations, with media reports this week suggesting he has been denied audiences with US State Department and top Republican officials.
In its reaction, the South African presidency in a short statement published on X on Saturday said the expulsion of its Ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, is “regrettable”.
“The Presidency has noted the regrettable expulsion of South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Mr. Ebrahim Rasool.
“The Presidency urges all relevant and impacted stakeholders to maintain the established diplomatic decorum in their engagement with the matter.
“South Africa remains committed to building a mutually beneficial relationship with the United States of America,” the statement reads.
