Following a speech by South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, where he criticized U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Rasool “persona non grata” on the social media platform X on Friday, giving him 72 hours to leave the United States.
On Saturday, South Africa’s president’s office called the expulsion “regrettable” and called for “diplomatic decorum” to be maintained between the two countries.
Patrick Bond, a political economist and international relations expert at the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Sociology, suggests the U.S. is dissatisfied with South Africa’s stance against Israel’s actions in Gaza, intensified by Ambassador Rasool’s direct criticism of Trump, leading to strained relations.
“The main conflict between South Africa and the U.S. stems from the International Court of Justice case against Israel’s actions in Gaza. This implicates the U.S., a key supporter of Israel, in these actions. Consequently, the U.S. wants South Africa to withdraw the case. However, most of the world backs South Africa’s leadership. U.S. Foreign Minister Marco Rubio criticized South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool for his honest critique of Donald Trump, which they viewed as insufficiently diplomatic,” he stated.
“This sends a clear message that they will act as bullies and will not be held accountable. They expel an ambassador for simply being truthful. All of Africa should stand against this bullying,” the scholar argued.
