Ebrahim Rasool addresses supporters, proclaiming persona non grata status as a mark of honor following expulsion from US.
Large groups of people at Cape Town International Airport gathered to welcome Ebrahim Rasool and his wife Rosieda upon their arrival in the city. Due to the size of the crowd, they required a police escort to make their way through the airport.
“Being declared persona non grata is intended to humiliate you,” Rasool addressed his supporters with a megaphone. “But returning to such a warm welcome like this, I will wear my persona non grata status with pride, as a badge of dignity.”
“It wasn’t our choice to return, but we do so with no regrets.”
Rasool also emphasized the importance of mending South Africa’s relationship with the US, asserting they were not anti-American.
Trump recently issued an executive order halting all funding to South Africa, accusing the country of anti-American sentiment and supporting Hamas and Iran, as well as pursuing anti-white policies domestically.
South Africa took action at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December 2023, accusing Israel of breaching the Genocide Convention in its conflict with the Gaza Strip. Since then, over 10 countries have supported South Africa in the case.
“We are here to maintain our interests with the United States, not to spread anti-American sentiments,” Rasool declared to the crowd.
These were Rasool’s first public statements since the Trump administration labeled him persona non grata, stripping him of diplomatic immunity and ordering him to leave the US by this Friday. Expelling a foreign ambassador is highly unusual for US diplomacy.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Rasool persona non grata, calling him a “race-baiting politician” who harbors hatred for the US and President Trump.
Rubio’s statement referenced a conservative Breitbart news article about a webinar Rasool attended, where he discussed the Trump administration’s policies on diversity, equity, immigration, and a potential future where white people would no longer be the majority in the US.
