In a dramatic escalation of diplomatic tensions, US Senator Marco Rubio has issued a stern declaration that the South African ambassador is no longer welcome in the United States. This unprecedented move comes amid rising concerns over South Africa’s foreign policy alignment and its implications for regional stability and global security. As the international community watches with bated breath, Rubio’s statement serves as a clear warning that the US will no longer tolerate actions that undermine its interests and values.
The United States has expelled South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, declaring him persona non grata. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in a post on X that Rasool is ‘no longer welcome in our great country,’ citing his remarks and characterization of him as a ‘race-baiting politician’ who ‘hates America and the President of the United States of America
While expressing regret over the US decision, South Africa’s presidential office stated on Saturday that the country remains committed to a mutually beneficial relationship with the United States.
This unusual step from the US is a further sign of the growing discord in the relationship between the two countries.
Rubio’s Friday post featured a link to a Breitbart article, a right-wing outlet that quoted Rasool’s remarks from an online lecture where he discussed the Trump administration.
“What Donald Trump is launching is an assault on incumbency, those who are in power, by mobilising a supremacism against the incumbency, at home… and abroad,” Rasool opined during the event.
According to his statement, the MAGA movement is a direct consequence of data showing substantial demographic changes in the U.S., where projections suggest the white voting electorate will fall to 48 per cent.
Rubio declared Rasool ‘PERSONA NON-GRATA’ (‘unwelcome person’), posting the statement as he left a foreign ministers’ meeting in Canada. This action signals the continued deterioration of US-South Africa ties, which began under the Trump administration.
Last month, the U.S. president signed an executive order suspending assistance to South Africa. The order cites ‘egregious actions’ by South Africa and alleges ‘unjust racial discrimination’ against white Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch settlers. The South African government has consistently refuted these claims.
The executive order also points to South Africa’s Expropriation Act, alleging that the law specifically targets Afrikaners by granting the government the power to seize private land.
“As long as South Africa continues to support bad actors on the world stage and allows violent attacks on innocent disfavored minority farmers, the United States will stop aid and assistance to the country,” as stated by the White House.
The government in South Africa denies its Expropriation Act is related to race, the Associated Press reported, stating it is for land reform. In contrast, a fact sheet from the White House states that the country “blatantly discriminates against ethnic minority descendants of settler groups.”
While lower-ranking diplomats are sometimes expelled, it’s highly unusual in the US for it to happen to a more senior official like a foreign ambassador, the Associated Press reported, noting neither the US nor Russia took such actions against one another even amid tensions during the Cold War.
Rasool previously served as the country’s ambassador to the US from 2010 to 2015 before being tapped again for the post in 2025.
Growing up in Cape Town, he was deeply affected by the apartheid system. The forced eviction of his family from their apartment at the age of nine due to its ‘whites-only’ designation served as a catalyst for his political awakening. He credited this experience as a formative event that guided his future.
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