Fri Mar 14 21:50:00 UTC 2025: **US Declares South African Ambassador Persona Non Grata**
**Washington, D.C.** – Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, is persona non grata, effectively expelling him from the country. Rubio, in a post on X, accused Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician” who harbors animosity towards President Donald Trump. The State Department offered no further details, and it remains unclear if the ambassador was even in the U.S. at the time of the decision. This action is highly unusual, especially considering the lack of ambassadorial expulsions during similar diplomatic crises between the US and Russia.
The move comes on the heels of President Trump’s executive order cutting aid to South Africa, citing concerns over a new land expropriation law. Trump claimed the law unfairly targets Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch settlers, while the South African government denies the law is racially motivated and accuses Trump of spreading misinformation. The Expropriation Act aims to redress land injustices stemming from the apartheid era.
Rasool, who previously served as ambassador from 2010 to 2015, is a prominent figure in South African politics, having been an anti-apartheid activist and a member of the African National Congress. His expulsion has sparked controversy, with critics questioning the justification for such a drastic measure. Calls to the South African Embassy for comment went unanswered. The incident highlights escalating tensions between the two countries and underscores the role of increasingly partisan rhetoric in international diplomacy.
First Piper 