South Africa should not be 'bullied' by US in ambassador row, opposition says

Opposition parties in South Africa have called on its president not to be “bullied” by the US after Washington expelled Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, giving him just 72 hours to leave the country.

Rasool was declared an unwelcome person after US State Secretary Marco Rubio called him a “race-baiting politician who hates America” on Friday.

Tensions between South African and the US have been on a downward spiral since US President Donald Trump came into office.

However, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola told state broadcaster SABC that “it is not helpful to engage in Twitter diplomacy”, saying the two countries need to talk “face-to-face”.

Other politicians were less measured in their response.

Julius Malema’s opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party issued a scathing statement against the US, calling on South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa “to not allow the country to be bullied by the orange clown occupying the White House”.

Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) Secretary General Apa Pooe also condemned the US decision, calling it an attack on South Africa’s sovereignty and an attempt to dictate policy in the country.

“SA is not a puppet of the US, we have the right to govern our country without any interference,” he said.

Trump has been a vocal critic of South Africa’s controversial land bill, which allows the government to confiscate land without compensation in certain circumstances.

Last month, Trump cut aid to South Africa. He alleged there was discrimination against the white Afrikaner minority, descendants of Dutch and French settlers.

South Africa denies this.

Rasool previously served as US ambassador from 2010 to 2015, when Barack Obama was president.

He was appointed as ambassador again in 2024, because of his previous experience and extensive network of Washington contacts.

But despite his record, he has faced challenges setting up meetings with Trump.

One unnamed South African diplomat told news site Semafor that someone with the ambassador’s “history of pro-Palestine politics”, among other things, “is not likely to do well in that job right now”.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) – a coalition partner in South Africa’s government of national unity (GNU) – has questioned why the largest party, the African National Congress (ANC), was still choosing all its foreign diplomats.

“It is simply just not right that the ANC has got carte blanche on foreign policy and the appointments of diplomats while they are only a 39% party,” DA spokesperson Willie Aucamp told SABC, as he called for members of the GNU to be allowed to go to Washington to ease tensions.