South African opposition parties are urging President Cyril Ramaphosa not to be “bullied” by the US following the expulsion of Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, who was given 72 hours to leave the country. This drastic measure was taken after US State Secretary Marco Rubio labeled Rasool a “race-baiting politician who hates America.” Relations between South Africa and the US have deteriorated since Donald Trump’s presidency, with South Africa’s Minister of International Relations, Ronald Lamola, advocating for face-to-face talks to address the issues.

Other political figures within South Africa have reacted more sternly to the US action. Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) accused Washington of attempting to bully South Africa, urging Ramaphosa to stand firm against what they called the “orange clown” in the White House. The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) condemned the decision as an attack on South Africa’s sovereignty and an intrusion into the country’s policy-making.

Apa Pooe of the PAC emphasized that South Africa is not a puppet of the US and should not be treated as such. The controversy includes Trump’s criticism of South Africa’s land reform, particularly the government’s potential to expropriate land without compensation, and his allegations of unfair treatment of white Afrikaner descendants. South Africa denies any form of prejudice in its land policies.

Rasool, who served as US ambassador from 2010 to 2015 during Barack Obama’s presidency, faced challenges trying to set up meetings with the Trump administration, likely due to his past advocations and political orientation. The Democratic Alliance (DA), a partner in South Africa’s government of national unity, questioned why the African National Congress (ANC), which holds only 39% of the vote, has unrestricted control over foreign policy and diplomatic appointments. They called for a broader involvement of the GNU coalition in diplomacy to ease tensions with the US.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cge10nnynzlo