Rasool bids farewell to US ‘with no regrets’ as Cosatu plans hero’s welcome

Ebrahim Rasool

Cape Town – South Africa’s expelled ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, has expressed no regrets about his removal after controversial comments about the Trump administration.

Rasool, who had served less than two months in his second stint as ambassador, was declared “persona non grata” by the US and ordered to leave by Friday, with his diplomatic privileges ending on March 17, 2025.

In a text message to family and friends on Sunday, Rasool shared that he and his wife Rosieda were packed and eagerly anticipating their return home, EWN reported.

“We bid farewell to the US with no regrets, it is what it is,” reads the message, according to the resport.

Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in the Western Cape has pledged to give a hero’s welcome to Ebrahim Rasool when he returns.

According to IOL, Cosatu’s provincial secretary, Malvern de Bruyn, said that Rasool is “one of us” and a “child of the soil”.

“As Cosatu, we are saying that Ebrahim Rasool is one of us. He is a child of the soil,”the report quoted De Bruyn as saying.

He added: “We decided in this meeting, in this congress, that when he (Rasool) arrives in the Western Cape, that we will go out in our numbers to the Cape Town International Airport to welcome him back to this province.”

The union also called on the South African government to expel the US ambassador in retaliation.

Rasool was expelled after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused him of hatred towards the US and President Trump.

President Cyril Ramaphosa told the media on Monday that he expects a comprehensive report from South Africa’s expelled ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, following his abrupt removal from the diplomatic post.

“Ebrahim Rasool will be coming back soon as the US State Department has ruled that he is no longer acceptable in the US, and he is going to come back and give me a full report. So, I will wait for a full report from him.

“But at the same time, we have noted the displeasure that has been expressed by the United States, particularly about the remarks he made. And we have noted that and we will engage with them as we are already engaging with them,” Ramaphosa said.

The presidency has since moved to mitigate any fallout, with presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirming that efforts are being made to preserve the longstanding partnership between the two nations.

Article written by