South African ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, expelled from the United States after a dispute with Donald Trump’s administration, says he has ‘no regrets.
Ebrahim Rasool returned to South Africa on Sunday. Hundreds of enthusiastic supporters welcomed him at Cape Town International Airport.
Relations between South Africa and the US have been tense since Trump took office in January. Rasool’s expulsion further escalated the situation.
Rasool defends his comments
The US declared the 62-year-old unwelcome after Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused him of being a “race-baiting politician who hates America.” This followed Rasool’s statement that Trump was “mobilising a supremacism” as the country’s white population faced becoming a minority.
Speaking in Cape Town, Rasool defended his remarks. He explained that he wanted to “alert” South African intellectuals and political leaders to a global shift. In his view, the old approach to dealing with the US no longer worked.
Supporters from the African National Congress, the South African Communist Party, and trade unions gathered at the airport. They sang, danced, and carried placards reading, “Ebrahim Rasool, you have served our country with honour!”
Growing strain between South Africa and the US
The US rarely expels senior diplomats, making Rasool’s removal unusual. While lower-ranking officials have faced expulsion before, such actions against ambassadors remain uncommon.
Relations between the two countries had already been deteriorating. In January, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a law allowing the government to expropriate land without compensation if deemed in the “public interest.”
The legislation aimed to redistribute farmland from the white minority, following years of debate on land reform. In response, Washington reduced aid to South Africa. US officials cited concerns about “unjust racial discrimination” against white Afrikaners—descendants of Dutch settlers from the 17th century.
However, the South African government strongly rejected these claims.
A missed opportunity for dialogue
On Sunday, Rasool expressed disappointment that he never had the chance to challenge the Trump administration’s position.
The government appointed him as ambassador to the US last year, considering his experience and Washington connections. Previously, he served as South Africa’s ambassador from 2010 to 2015 under Barack Obama’s presidency.
