South Africa: U.S. ‘Deserves Better’ as Expelled Ambassador Rasool Readies for Return to South Africa
The U.S. expects a certain level of respect from other nations, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a press briefing. Bruce said that America “deserves better” regarding the standard of diplomatic relations, calling for a representative who can facilitate constructive dialogue between the two nations.
She was talking about Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S. who was declared “persona non grata” after comments he made about President Donald Trump’s administration.
“If we don’t have a standard about the nature of someone … who is supposed to be a diplomat to help facilitate the relationship between two countries … we deserve better,” said Bruce.
The decision to expel Rasool was announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called Rasool a “race-baiting politician” who hates Trump, according to a post on the social media platform X.
Rasool had described Trump ally Elon Musk’s outreach to far-right figures in Europe as a “dog whistle” in the global movement to rally people who view themselves as members of an “embattled white community”. During his speech, Rasool didn’t comment on Trump, but offered tips for dealing with his administration: “This is not the moment to antagonize the United States.”
Bruce said that Rubio announced Rasool’s expulsion, their senior-level diplomats convoked the South African embassy staff for an in-person meeting at the State Department. “Our officials delivered the official notification of Ambassador Rasool’s persona-non-grata status, and it was done,” she said.
“These remarks were unacceptable to the United States – not just to the President, but to every American. It was – they were pretty much obscene when it came to the nature of what was – of what was alleged. And so that is, I think, at the very least what we should expect, is a standard of some respect – basic, low-level respect – if you’re in a position that is going to help facilitate any kind of diplomatic relationship with another country,” said Bruce.
She said Rasool’s diplomatic privileges expired three days after the notice, and he will then need to leave the country.
Rubio’s decision was the latest move targeting South Africa by the Trump administration
In February, Trump signed an executive order that described South Africa’s white minorities as “victims of unjust racial discrimination” after a land policy bill passed. Trump said that the land policy discriminates against white Afrikaner farmers and violates human rights. In addition, he directed his officials to prioritize the resettlement of white Afrikaners and their families to the U.S., as refugees. The South African government denied there was any land confiscation or racial discrimination, saying the law under review targets land that is not being used or that does not serve the public interest. They claimed that Trump’s claims about the country and the law contain misinformation and distortions.
Trump also ordered his administration to halt foreign assistance to South Africa.
“The unjust land expropriation law, as well as its growing relationship with countries like Russia and Iran, that’s what prompted the serious review of our South Africa policy, which continues to be underway. They have taken also the South African government’s aggressive positions toward the United States and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International Court of Justice and reinvigorating its relationship with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements”, said Bruce.
According to the U.S. State Department spokesperson, the U.S. views South Africa’s actions as detrimental to global security and prosperity, not merely as issues of diplomatic tone or behavior.
Bruce said U.S. policy toward South Africa is “to encourage a change, adding that “the nature of the Secretary of State is to make things better for people. It is not to punish or to target people or countries.”
By Melody Chironda
