South Africa hasn’t replaced its ambassador to the US seven months after Rasool was kicked out

President Cyril Ramaphosa is under increasing pressure to appoint a new South African Ambassador to the United States of America, seven months after the last ambassador was declared “persona non grata.” 

At a recent National Assembly Plenary meeting, two political parties, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Build One South Africa (BOSA), said the selection of a new ambassador is long overdue. 

The parties argued that the vacancy is stalling trade negotiations between South Africa and the US. 

Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) spokesperson Chrispin Phiri denied this and told Newsday that the lack of an ambassador has not had an impact on relations or negotiations with the US.

EFF MP Nqobile Mhlongo said in parliament that the government needs to decide on the direction it will take regarding the US. 

“To not have filled the position of ambassador since the former ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled is a sign of giving in to the bullying by the orange man in the White House,” she said. 

Mhlongo criticised President Ramaphosa for not acting on the vacancy sooner, saying he hasn’t done so out of fear of US President Donald Trump. 

“South Africa’s paper tiger said he would not be bullied, and he’s still being bullied,” she said. 

The last ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled in March 2025 after he shared his critical views on Trump and his policies.

Rasool had said that it was “self-evident” that there was racism within the Trump administration. He accused Trump of trying to “project white victimhood as a dog whistle.”

“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 said that this was evident in the US’s posture towards South Africa, including allegations that the white minority was being unfairly targeted by Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) and land expropriation policies. 

“So in terms of that supremacist assault on incumbency we see it in the domestic politics of the USA, the MAGA movement,” added the former Ambassador and Western Cape Premier.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Rasool was “no longer welcome” in the US because he was a “race-baiting politician who hates America and President Trump.”

Rasool was declared ‘persona non grate’ – leading to his diplomatic credentials being revoked. Rasool is now heading the ANC’s ‘renewal’ in the Western Cape.

BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane agreed with the EFF’s complaints in parliament. He said the time has come for South Africa to make the decision and send its next ambassador. 

“We cannot delay this any further, because without an ambassador, we cannot continue trade talks,” he said. 

‘We cannot delay this any further’

During a White House meeting in May, Trump confronted President Cyril Ramaphosa with claims about white genocide and land seizures, which Pretoria strongly denied.

Trump has been a vocal opponent of the South African government and its policies, while Ramaphosa has dismissed claims that land reform will lead to arbitrary seizures of white-owned property.

In August, the US imposed a 30% blanket tariff on South Africa, the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Responding to the issue of the vacant position, Phiri told Newsday that this has not prohibited South Africa from negotiating with the US on these issues. 

Phiri added that the United States has not had an ambassador in South Africa for close to one year as well. 

“Nonetheless, we have engaged with the USA at all levels,” Phiri said. “This was evidenced by President Ramaphosa’s meeting with President Trump.”

He added that South Africa has continued to hold meetings with other US congressmen and that DIRCO and its counterparts in the US are involved in ongoing engagements. 

Trump nominated Leo Brent Bozell III as the next US ambassador to South Africa. 

This is only the first step in the process of appointing a new ambassador for the United States. Bozell must still be approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the full Senate. 

According to DIRCO, the role of ambassadors is to represent South Africa’s interests abroad. Ambassadors are the heads of a South African mission in a foreign country. 

They act as a “networking agent for South Africa” to promote economic diplomacy. They are responsible for strengthening relations and promoting economic growth and development. 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) last month asked the President about the country’s next ambassador to the US, and was concerned that South Africa would send “another cadre deployee.”

The president would not confirm that the next ambassador would not be an ANC member. “This means that we risk another ambassador who focuses on the interests of the party and not the state,” said DA MP Ryan Smith. 

“The ANC has a long history of using South Africa’s foreign service as either a retirement plan for ageing party loyalists or an overseas jaunt for loyal cadres,” Smith added. 

He added that now, more than ever, South Africa needs to approach this diplomatic appointment with the seriousness it requires.