U.S. Senator Rubio expresses South African ambassador's unwelcome status in American territory
Bold and Brash: A Diplomatic Spat Between Rubio and South Africa's Ambassador
Last Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took a swipe at South Africa's ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, declaring him "persona non grata" - not welcome in the country. Rubio's harsh statement, published on social media, accused Rasool of being a "race-baiting" politician who harbors deep-rooted hatred for America and President Donald Trump.
"We have nothing to discuss with him, so he is considered persona non grata," Rubio wrote, using the severe diplomatic rebuke common in international relations. This action typically forces the individual to leave the host country.
When CNN reached out to the South African embassy in Washington, D.C., and the State Department for comment, they had yet to respond.
The spark for the debacle? According to Rubio, it was an article from the right-wing news outlet Breitbart quoting Rasool's comments made to a think tank about Trump's election and presidency.
The diplomatic rift between the two nations is continuing a downward spiral that began during the Biden administration and has escalated since Trump's second term. Tensions have been escalating, with the US taking various punitive measures against South Africa, primarily over concerns about the country's land reform policies, a point of contention not only for Trump but also his ally, tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Both Trump and Musk have argued that White farmers are being unfairly targeted under these policies, which are designed to address the legacy of apartheid.
During his remarks to the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), Rasool addressed "continuities" from the Biden administration as well as "discontinuities." He highlighted that Trump's leadership is launching an "assault on incumbency," mobilizing "supremacism against the incumbency at home and abroad."
Rasool, who served as ambassador to the US twice, noted that Trump's election was a reaction to "supremacist instincts" and shifts in US demographics, suggesting that this was behind policies such as the proposed border wall and immigration reforms.
The South African government recently enacted the Expropriation Act to undo the long-lasting effects of apartheid. Under apartheid, non-White South Africans were forcibly removed from their lands, and today, three decades on, Black South Africans - who make up more than 80% of the population - own only around 4% of private land. The new legislation empowers the government to seize land and redistribute it, with no obligation to pay compensation in certain instances if the seizure is deemed "just and equitable and in the public interest."
President Cyril Ramaphosa has stated the legislation is intended to ensure public access to land in a fair and just manner. However, critics like Trump and Musk believe the land reform policy is discriminatory against White South Africans.
The policy has caused a strong reaction from the Trump administration, with Rubio previously stating that South Africa was engaging in "bad things" and announcing he would not attend the meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Johannesburg. The Trump administration also suspended aid to South Africa, alleging discrimination against White farmers, and even promising a "rapid pathway to citizenship" for any South African farmer seeking refuge in the US due to safety concerns.
In recent days, Trump issued a statement saying any Afrikaner refugees escaping "government-sponsored race-based discrimination," including "racially discriminatory property confiscation," would be invited into the United States.
- Senator Rubio, in a move reminiscent of his stance during the Trump administration, launched a critique of the South African government's Expropriation Act, likening it to "racially discriminatory property confiscation."
- The Breitbart news outlet's coverage of South Africa's Ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, sparked heated discussions, with Senator Rubio accusing Rasool of promoting supremacism against incumbency, references understood to be aimed at President Trump and his policies.
- As the diplomatic tension between the US and South Africa persists, Afrikaners, a significant ethnic group in South Africa, find themselves in a crucible, with some seeking refuge from perceived government-sponsored discrimination, much like the offer made by former President Trump.
