The United States has asked South Africa’s ambassador to leave, calling him a “divisive figure who spreads hate against America.”
In a post on social media platform X on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Ebrahim Rasool is “no longer welcome in our country” because he “hates America and the President of the United States.”
Rubio added, “We have nothing to discuss with him, and he is now considered PERSONA NON GRATA.”
Tensions between the U.S. and South Africa have grown since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. During his second term, Trump reduced financial aid to South Africa and criticized its policies, including efforts to address racial inequality through land reform and its case against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding genocide.
Trump has claimed, without evidence, that “South Africa is taking land unfairly” and that “certain groups of people” are being treated “very poorly” in the country. Elon Musk, a close ally of Trump and head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has also argued that white South Africans are suffering due to “racist land ownership laws.”
In January, South Africa passed a law allowing the government to take land more easily for public use, which has been a point of contention.
The decision to expel Rasool came after he spoke at a webinar where he accused Trump of leading a “white supremacist movement” in the U.S. Rubio shared a news article about the webinar along with his announcement.
Relations between the two countries are now at their “lowest point,” according to former U.S. ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard, who spoke to Reuters. He emphasized, “There’s too much at stake to not work on fixing this partnership.”
Rasool, who began his second term as ambassador in January, had previously served in Washington from 2010 to 2015. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office called the U.S. decision “unfortunate” but reiterated its commitment to maintaining a “positive and mutually beneficial relationship” with the U.S.
Reports from news website Semafor suggest that Rasool has been excluded from meetings with key U.S. officials and members of Trump’s administration. An unnamed South African diplomat told Semafor that Rasool’s pro-Palestinian stance and criticism of Israel may have contributed to the strained relations.
