U.S. Declares South African Ambassador Persona Non Grata Amid Diplomatic Tensions
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, is no longer welcome in the country. The move follows remarks made by Rasool during a videoconference in which he criticized Trump ally Elon Musk’s engagement with far-right figures in Europe, describing it as part of a broader movement appealing to those who view themselves as an “embattled white community.”
Rubio, in a social media post, accused Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician” and declared him persona non grata. The State Department did not provide additional details regarding the decision, and it remains unclear whether Rasool was in the U.S. at the time of the announcement.
It is rare for the U.S. to expel a foreign ambassador, as such actions are typically reserved for lower-ranking diplomats. Even during heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia, including diplomatic expulsions over election interference allegations and the annexation of Crimea, neither country took the step of expelling an ambassador.
Rasool previously served as South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S. from 2010 to 2015 and returned to the post in January. Having grown up under apartheid, he was forcibly removed from a Cape Town neighborhood designated for white residents and later became an anti-apartheid activist and politician aligned with Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC).
His removal comes shortly after President Trump signed an executive order cutting aid and assistance to South Africa’s Black-led government. The order cited concerns over the country’s new Expropriation Act, which allows the government to reclaim land under specific conditions. Trump’s order characterized Afrikaner landowners as being “racially disfavored” under the law and announced a plan to grant them refugee status in the U.S.
The South African government has rejected claims that the law is racially motivated, asserting that it seeks to rectify historical injustices from the apartheid era when Black South Africans were forcibly removed from their land. Officials have dismissed Trump’s statements on the issue as misinformation.
Musk, who grew up in South Africa and currently leads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, has repeatedly criticized the Expropriation Act in social media posts, portraying it as a threat to the country’s white minority.
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