Cape Town – The Presidency has defended appointing former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas as a special envoy to the US, despite controversy over a resurfaced 2020 video in which he called Donald Trump a “racist”, “homophobe”, and “narcissistic right-winger”.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya clarified that Jonas made those remarks as a private citizen, not a government representative, and expressed confidence that Trump would not hold a grudge.
“We believe Jonas will be able to undertake this task. The comments he made were made in his capacity as a private citizen.
“At that time, he was not an ambassador or an envoy, and did not represent the South African government in any way. Those remarks should be placed in that context,” Magwenya said.
He added: We don’t believe Trump is a man that holds grudges. If that was the case, a number of his cabinet members would not be serving in his cabinet. Leo Brent Bozell III wouldn’t have been nominated as US ambassador to South Africa.
“We believe Trump and his administration will have an appreciation that in politics things get said but that doesn’t mean people are beholden to those positions. Equally, unkind remarks have been made about the African continent by Trump and there’s no African leader that holds those comments against him. There’s a sense that everyone wants to move forward positively and constructively in terms of the relationship with the US.”
Magwenya also confirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa considered Mcebisi Jonas’ role as MTN chairperson before appointing him.
Concerns have been raised due to MTN’s 49% stake in Iran Cell, given the Trump administration’s adversarial stance toward Iran.
Critics argue this could complicate US-South Africa relations.
But Magwenya clarified that Jonas has no direct ties to Iran or its leadership, and MTN’s Iran investment is similar to its global operations. Jonas’ past criticism of Donald Trump has also been flagged as a potential diplomatic hurdle.
“MTN made an investment in Iran Cell. Mr Jonas does not have ties with Iran, as well as its leadership and political establishments. So, we need to differentiate these issues. That investment MTN made at Iran Cell was no different from investments they’ve made in other parts of the world, where they’ve partnered with local telecommunications providers,” he said.
Jonas’ appointment comes amid growing tensions between South Africa and the US, including the expulsion of former ambassador Ebrahim Rasool for criticising Trump and disputes over South Africa’s land policies.
He has been tasked with improving diplomatic, trade, and bilateral relations with the US.
