No More Welcome: South Africa's Ambassador in the U.S. Under Fire
- U.S. authorities: South African diplomat is no longer invited
Fired up and straight to the point!
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has given the cold shoulder to South Africa's ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, declaring him persona non grata. "Sayonara, buddy, you're no longer stirring pots in our backyard," Rubio announced on the X platform. Seems they had a tiff, and ol' Rubio's implications were crystal clear: Rasool's days in the States were numbered.
So, what makes a diplomat persona non grata? Essentially, it allows a nation to kick a diplomat out of their territory, urging them to pack their bags and skedaddle within a set timeframe.
Rubio also shared a link to the conservative enclave "Breitbart," highlighting choice words spoken by Rasool during a South African think tank's video workshop. The ambassador set the record straight—he reckoned that Trump, tech mogul Elon Musk, and VP J.D. Vance were whipping up nationalist forces, not just in the good 'ole US of A, but globally. Yep, he brought up the Alternative for Germany (AfD) too, as an example of this growing trend.
Rasool zeroed in on demographic shifts in the US, taking the country's dwindling white majority as context for certain political movements. He sounded off on the narrative of threatened white identity being exploited to rally support, be it real or imagined.
Rubio accuses Rasool of stirring up racial drama
Rubio shot back, labeling Rasool a hater of America and Trump, accusing him of purposely stirring racial tensions. Rubio's not a fan of Rasool's narrative, calling it a racist dog whistle.
The rough patch between the US and South Africa dates back to Trump's reign. Trump's taken exception to a law passed in South Africa, which allows land to be claimed in the public interest to address historical injustices during the apartheid era (1948-1994). Land distribution was all messed up during that time, disproportionately favoring the white South African crowd. Compensation is paid to current landowners, but only after acquisition negotiations have hit a dead end.
Trump's response? He froze aid payments to South Africa in early February. He's even lobbying to recognize affected South African farmers as refugees—no kiddin'.
- South Africa
- USA
- Marco Rubio
- Donald Trump
- Apartheid
- Diplomatic dispute
- "Stirring the pot"
Insights:
- Under apartheid, land distribution was skewed towards white South Africans.
- The controversial law in South Africa allows for land expropriation in the public interest to address historical injustices.
- Elon Musk and J.D. Vance are associated with the growing strength of nationalist forces around the world, according to South Africa's ambassador to the US.
- The narrative of a threatened white identity being used to mobilize political support is a common theme in some political movements.
The Commission has also been consulted on the draft budget, regardless of the ongoing diplomatic dispute between the United States and South Africa. Ambassador Rubio, despite sharing contrasting views with South Africa's ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, on various developments, notably on racial tensions and nationalist forces, continues to be vocal on the matter. Expropriations of land in South Africa, a controversial issue that has escalated the tensions between the two countries, have drawn attention from global leaders such as President Trump.
