United States has designated the South African ambassador as persona non grata

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, has been declared persona non grata. Rubio criticized Rasool as a “race-baiting politician” who harbors animosity towards America and President Donald Trump.

“South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country,” Rubio stated in a post on the social media platform X. “We have no discussions to engage in with him, thus he is deemed PERSONA NON GRATA,” he added.

Rasool had presented his credentials to former President Joe Biden on January 13, marking the beginning of his tenure, as noted on the South African embassy’s website, which indicated that this was Rasool’s second term in Washington. The U.S. State Department and the South African embassy in Washington did not provide immediate comments when approached.

Relations between the United States and South Africa have soured since Trump halted U.S. financial assistance to the country, citing concerns over its land policy and a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Trump has claimed, without providing evidence, that “South Africa is confiscating land” and that “certain groups of people” are being treated “very poorly.” Elon Musk, a billionaire originally from South Africa and an ally of Trump, has stated that white South Africans have suffered due to “racist ownership laws.”

In January, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa enacted legislation designed to facilitate the state’s ability to expropriate land for public interest, sometimes without compensating the owners. He has defended this policy, asserting that the government has not seized any land and that it aims to address racial inequalities in land ownership within the Black-majority nation.