South Africa is preparing for Ambassador to the US Ebrahim Rasool’s quick return home, and diplomatic preparations are underway to fill the void left by his abrupt departure.
This is according to spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco), Clayson Monyela, who told Sunday World that an announcement on Rasool’s replacement was on the cards, but declined to mention any names.
“We have had a meeting this morning as Dirco and have short-listed three people to fill the position,” he said.
Rasool, who was expelled and declared persona non grata by the country’s authorities, has until March 21 to leave the US. “But the plan is to get him home before that date,” Monyela said, emphasising the urgency behind the move. “This incident is limited to Rasool,” Monyela clarified, adding that, “The other diplomats remain at their stations and continue to work.”
The US decision came with unprecedented speed. According to Monyela. “Once they made the decision, the Secretary of State tweeted, and then officials made contact with our embassy in Washington to deliver the official notification,”
Cabinet spokesperson and Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni referred questions to Dirco.
Behind the scenes, government insiders revealed a starker picture of Rasool’s conduct.
“Rasool misbehaved; he forgot that he is a diplomat, and he decided to be a political analyst, which you cannot do as a diplomat,” one insider disclosed.
The person said the breach was not just a matter of protocol but a fundamental misunderstanding of diplomatic roles. “The type of language is one that a diplomat cannot use.”
A source in diplomatic circles elaborated on the ramifications, drawing a parallel to South Africa’s own diplomatic measures.
“You should play the situation in reverse. We have summoned [former US ambassador] Reuben Brigety for going off on us on Lady R,” the person said, pointing out that diplomatic protocols are strictly upheld across nations. “As a diplomat of SA, you cannot be in Washington and say the kind of things he (Rasool) was saying.”
Speaking on Friday at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection in Johannesburg, Rasool launched a scathing critique of Trump, accusing him of leading a “white supremacist movement”, both domestically and internationally.
In response, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Rasool “persona non grata”.
Taking to social media, Rubio accused Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician” who hated America and Trump.
The Presidency yesterday described Rasool’s expulsion as “regrettable”, expressing a commitment to maintain diplomatic decorum and a beneficial relationship with the US. Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for Dirco minister Ronald Lamola said: “Ambassador Rasool was on the verge of an engagement with strategic officials in the White House. This regrettable development had scuttled the significant progress.”
