The Trump administration has frequently clashed with South Africa over the legacy of apartheid and its criticism of Israel.
The administration of President Donald Trump has declared South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool persona non grata in the United States.
In a social media post on Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Rasool is “no longer welcome in our great country.”
“Ebrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates POTUS,” Rubio wrote, using the acronym for President of the United States.
“We have nothing to discuss with him, and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA.”
Rubio linked his comments to an article by the right-wing media outlet Breitbart, in which Rasool is quoted as saying that Trump mobilized a “supremacist instinct” and “white victimhood” as a “dog whistle” during the 2024 elections.
Rasool’s expulsion is the latest in a series of actions by the Trump administration targeting South Africa, a country that has supported Palestinian rights and led a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel, a US ally, of genocide in Gaza.
Earlier this week, the news outlet Semafor reported that Rasool, a veteran diplomat, has been denied what are typically routine opportunities to meet with US State Department officials and high-level Republicans since Trump took office.
Rasool returned to his role as South Africa’s ambassador to the US in January. He previously held the position from 2010 to 2015 during the presidency of Barack Obama.
South Africa is governed by the African National Congress (ANC), a party that emerged from the anti-apartheid struggle that ended white minority rule in the country.
However, the ANC government has been a particular target of criticism from the Trump administration and allies like right-wing billionaire Elon Musk, who is of South African origin.
Trump’s government has accused the ANC of discriminating against the white population.
Trump has cut aid to South Africa and, in February—when the White House had nearly halted refugee admissions for people fleeing violence and repression worldwide—he offered expedited citizenship for white Afrikaners “escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination.”
The announcement was a response to a land distribution law aimed at addressing inequalities that persist from the apartheid era. The South African government has stated that Trump is misinformed about the law, which has not been used to confiscate any land.
Vincent Magwenya, a spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, told Reuters that his country would “not partake in a counterproductive megaphone diplomacy,” referring to Trump’s habit of issuing statements about South Africa on social media.
Despite Trump’s portrayal of Afrikaners as a besieged minority, South African authorities argue that the economic legacy of apartheid, during which white South Africans held near-total control over the economy, continues to drive economic inequality between Black and white residents.
A 2017 government audit found that while Black people make up 80 percent of South Africa’s population, they own only 4 percent of privately held farmland.
White Afrikaners, who own the vast majority of South Africa’s farmland, comprise just 8 percent of the population.
Rasool and his family were themselves expelled from their home in Cape Town during apartheid, when Black people were forcibly relocated to designated non-white areas with minimal resources or economic opportunities.
Stay updated with the latest news and updates by visiting our trusted sources. For more news, check out ZTC News and ZNews Today. Stay informed and explore comprehensive coverage on current events!