The United States State Secretary Marco Rubio has accused South Africa’s ambassador, Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, of harboring hatred towards the US and President Trump. In response, South Africa has expressed regret at the decision made by the United States to expel Rasool, emphasizing their commitment to maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with Washington.

The South African presidency has urged all stakeholders involved in this situation to uphold diplomatic decorum. This request came after Rubio referred to Rasool as a “race-baiting politician” who is unwelcome in the US.

Rubio’s comments were linked to an article from Breitbart, in which Rasool was quoted as stating that Trump employed white supremacist tactics during the 2024 elections. Political analyst Sandile Swana believes that the central issue lies in South Africa’s decision to file a genocide case at the International Court of Justice against Israel, a key US ally, regarding the conflict in Gaza.

Swana mentioned that the US had previously supported the South African apartheid regime, leading to Rasool’s criticisms towards the US for supporting actions analogous to apartheid in Palestine.

The expulsion of the South African ambassador comes during a period of strained relations between the two nations, following Trump’s disapproval and subsequent suspension of US financial aid to South Africa due to its land policy, which allegedly enables the seizure of land from white farmers.

Trump had offered refuge to South African farmers, alleging that the South African government was unjustly seizing land from white individuals. South African tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is a Trump ally, has also accused South Africa of having “openly racist ownership laws.”

However, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended the policy, asserting that the government’s intention is to rectify the racial inequality in land ownership in a Black-majority nation, not to confiscate land.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/15/south-africa-committed-to-us-ties-after-regrettable-expulsion-of-envoy?traffic_source=rss