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Rasool was expelled after what have been described as hateful statements towards the American people and President Donald Trump.`
South Africa’s now expelled ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, speaks during an event in this undated image. Picture: AFP/File
The South African government’s lukewarm reaction to the American government’s expulsion of Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool indicates that it disapproves of his comments about the Trump administration. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said there would be no retaliation and no challenge to it either.
“On the expulsion of Ambassador Rasool, while regrettable, there are lessons to be drawn from the experience, and we will reflect on that lesson,” said Magwenya.
The Sunday Times quoted an anonymous South African government official as saying: “You can’t criticise your host country in the manner that he did, using the type of language he did.
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“[Rasool] knows this because it is part of the training diplomats get.”
Rasool made his comments at a foreign policy webinar organised by the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection on Friday.
Rasool’s comments
“I think what Donald Trump is launching is an assault on incumbency, those who are in power, by mobilising a supremacism against the incumbency at home,” said Rasool.
“And I think I’ve illustrated abroad, as well.
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“So in terms of that, the supremacist assault on incumbency, we see it in the domestic politics of the US – the Maga movement, the Make America Great Again movement, as a response not simply to a supremacist instinct but to very clear data that shows great demographic shifts in which the voting electorate in the US is projected to become 48% white.”
Did Rasool shoot himself in the foot?
International reputation management expert Tshepo Matseba said: “With Washington already misrepresenting SA’s expropriate action laws and foreign policy stance, Rasool’s comments only deepened the divide.
“The diplomatic climate is tense, and playing into these tensions has real economic and political consequences for South Africa.”
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“By publicly framing Trump as the leader of a global, white supremacist movement, Rasool didn’t just voice an opinion – he provoked an administration that thrives on backlash.
“His actions resulted in giving more negative attention to SA at a time when we need diplomacy, not disruption.”
Is there more to the expulsion?
Political analyst Goodenough Mashego said Rasool was targeted by the US for being vocal about the position of SA on the Israeli-Palestine crisis.
“In diplomatic calls, there are certain steps that are taken when the ambassador commits minor errors.
“They should have simply issued a statement as a host country stating that they were not happy about what the ambassador said, instead of expelling him.
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“Expulsion happens when the ambassador commits a serious offence. Or they should have sent a diplomatic note to express their concerns about the conduct.”
Mashego said he differs from experts who believe Rasool was thrown under the bus for being a loose cannon.
He said there was nothing South Africa could do to protect Rasool.
A diplomatic crisis for SA
Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast, a political expert from Nelson Mandela University, said SA has no grounds to protect Rasool because he made the wrong statements while the two countries were at loggerheads over the Expropriation Act, which saw the US halt funding to health projects.
“A person of his calibre would have known that making such comments about the US president would cause serious damage.
“We understand that those were his personal comments, not those of the government, but as an ambassador, he was not supposed to say that.
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“But I believe this matter could have been handled better by the two countries.”
Ramaphosa released a statement saying: “The Presidency urges all relevant and impacted stakeholders to maintain the established diplomatic decorum in their engagement with the matter.
“We remain committed to building a mutually beneficial relationship with the US.”
Thabang Motsoaledi from the University of North-West’s Department of Political and International Relations said the expulsion was an indication that anyone who spoke against Trump’s administration would be isolated in some way, whether through their states or individually.
“His comment did not sit well with the US, and their response indicates that anyone who suggests that Trump is a bad leader will be punished.
“However, there is a need for the two countries to resolve their differences in a diplomatic way,” said Motsoaledi.
International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola said the correct diplomatic processes were not followed to expel Rasool. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expelled Rasool on Friday.
Rubio’s comments
Rubio wrote on social media platform X that Rasool “is no longer welcome in our great country” and that the country considers him “persona non grata.”
He described Rasool as a “race-baiting politician who hates America and hates Potus [the president of the United States]”. Lamola said the department will comply with the decision and continue to engage with the US.
– masoka@citizen.co.za
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