US expels South African ambassador – A diplomatic downgrade?

Relations between the USA and South Africa in the past month spectacularly took a turn for the worse after President Trump lambasted South Africa for its recently passed expropriation without compensation law, the discriminatory treatment of Afrikaner White farmers including farm murders and its anti-Israel pro Iran foreign policy. Trump has extended an offer of asylum to South African farmers who are victims of reverse racism in South Africa. Trump warned of the economic consequences and indeed USAID has already withdrawn funding for its HIV/AIDS programme in South Africa. The special trade agreement, AGOA is also under reconsideration.

South Africa doubled down simultaneously by signing a declaration of the recently formed Hague Group a recently formed alliance of countries to enforce punitive measures against Israel.  A delegation of Afriforum, an Afrikaans cultural group has returned from the USA after meeting with top US officials to present its grievances. Secretary of State Rubio has refused to meet with a South African government delegation about the concerns raised by the Afrikaans leaders.  South African politicians have retaliated with threats of charges of treason against the leaders of Afriforum.  It bears remembering that when anti-Apartheid campaigner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu advocated sanctions against South Africa, he did not face the prospect of being charged for treason by the Apartheid government.

In November 2023 the South African government recalled its ambassador from the diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv and to this day the mission to Israel is downgraded.  The South African government has also in the past threatened action against the Israeli ambassador to South Africa. At the same time Israel Ambassador to South Africa, Eliav Belotsercovsky, was recalled by Jerusalem for consultations and has not returned to his post in Pretoria to present date.

South Africa has raised tensions with Israel over its pro Hamas stance and Iran alliance.   In December 2023 South Africa filed a dispute against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging Israel was violating the Genocide Convention. It also filed complaints against Israeli leaders for alleged war crimes under the Rome Statute in the International Criminal Court.  Its foreign policy has come under attack for these reasons by many in South Africa as well as the USA. Suspicions have been voiced of Iranian backing of the ANC, which was then the governing party, in bringing the ICJ case.  Some commentators have raised the question of Islamist capture of South African foreign policy having regard to roles of Moslem leaders in the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) such as the former foreign minister Naledi Pandor, Director General of DIRCO, Zane Dangor and now recently Ebrahim Rasool. Ambassador to the USA.  A known supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and critic of Donald Trump, his suitability as a diplomat has been under scrutiny by advisors close to the White House.

The last straw was Rasool’s address to a South African policy group known as MISTRA in a seminar on Friday 14 March 2025. He attacked Trump’s MAGA programme and accused him of white supremacism. The response was swift. Secretary of State Rubio in the early hours of Saturday declared Rasool persona non grata and that Rasool is no longer welcome in the USA. In his statement on X Rubio said that Rasool “fuels racial tensions, hates the U.S., and hates President Donald Trump”

It does not end there. Prior to Rasool’s expulsion unconfirmed reports disclosed that the South African Consul General in Los Angeles, Thandile Sunduza has been asked to leave by 31 March 2025.  Neither the US Department of State nor the South Africans have commented upon this matter yet. It is not known yet what the reasons are for Sunduza’s  rumoured recall.

It is however public knowledge that in February 2025, Sunduza was presented with an award of appreciation by the LA Executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Foundation (CAIR) in gratitude for the role played by the government and people of South Africa in challenging Israel’s “genocide” against the Palestinian people in Gaza. She was photographed wearing a kaffiyeh.  CAIR has been shown in court proceedings in the USA to have links with both the Muslim brotherhood and Hamas but has not been sanctioned at present. However there have been complaints that the greater Los Angeles chapter of CAIR which is not a registered non-profit organisation and is not eligible to handle charitable donations has received an amount of $7 million which is unaccounted for.  A complaint has been filed with the US Department of Justice.

These sudden moves against senior South African diplomats may indicate steps in downgrading US relations with South Africa. It is not known whether South Africa will replace Ambassador Rasool.  No doubt the inclusion of South Africa in the Hague Group will not endear South Africa to President Trump who holds Israel in high regard as an ally and friend.

Diplomatic relations between South Africa and the USA have reached rock bottom, sabotaged by the cumulative poor governance of the ANC and bad choices in its association with repressive and undemocratic foreign states, certainly undermining US security interests and political values.  It may not end well for South Africa. For too long it has been punching above its weight. South Africa needs to change the direction of its disastrous foreign policy.