US expels South Africa’s ambassador over Trump comments

Saturday 15 March 2025 - 08:33

By: Dakir Madiha

US expels South Africa’s ambassador over Trump comments

South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, has been declared “no longer welcome” in the US by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This announcement marks a significant diplomatic fallout following Rasool’s critical remarks about former President Donald Trump.

In a statement posted on X, Rubio characterized Rasool as a “race-baiting politician” and labeled him a “persona non grata.” The expulsion coincides with Trump’s recent executive order that cuts aid to South Africa, a decision influenced by concerns regarding a controversial land expropriation law. The South African government contends that this law has been mischaracterized.

Rubio's announcement linked to a Breitbart article in which Rasool accused Trump of leading a global white supremacist movement. This commentary was made during a foreign policy seminar at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) in Johannesburg, where Rasool connected Trump’s foreign policy stances—particularly those regarding South Africa’s property legislation—to white supremacist motivations.

Rasool highlighted demographic shifts in the US electorate, projecting that by a certain date, 48% of voters would identify as white. He argued that the “Make America Great Again” movement responds not merely to supremacist instincts but reflects broader demographic anxieties.

The contentious Expropriation Act in South Africa allows the government to redistribute land deemed underutilized or in the public interest. Trump has criticized this legislation, claiming it targets the white Afrikaner minority unfairly, referring to them as “racially disfavored landowners.” The South African government, however, argues that the law is a necessary step to rectify historical injustices stemming from the apartheid era, during which Black South Africans were forcibly dispossessed of their land.

The US State Department has yet to issue an official statement regarding this diplomatic incident, leaving many questions unanswered about the implications for US-South Africa relations.