ANC won’t interfere in Ramaphosa’s US ambassador choice – Mbalula

Ramaphosa

Cape Town – The ANC says it will not interfere in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to appoint a new ambassador to the US after the expulsion of former ambassador Ebrahim Rasool by the Trump administration.

Rasool was removed after calling Trump’s leadership a “white supremacist movement”.

Speaking on the sidelines of the ANC’s NEC meeting in Boksburg on Friday, Mbalula emphasized that the replacement of Rasool is solely the president’s responsibility.

“The president will deal with the US ambassador issue in government. It is not an ANC call. We have long deferred such matters to government,” Sunday World quoted Mbalula as saying.

“As much as many people believe that the ANC deploys ambassadors, it is not true. But we too, like all others, can make suggestions to the president. We have given the president the exclusive rights to deal with matters of the deployment of diplomats of our country.”

The NEC meeting is expected to focus on South Africa’s diplomatic tensions with the US and strategies for self-reliance. The  meeting will continue for four days, concluding on Monday.

Speaking on the role of ambassadors and their appointment process, Mbalula pointed to the Geneva Convention as the key framework regulating diplomatic engagements. He clarified that ambassadors present their credentials to the state and the president through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco), which has the authority to accept or reject them.

“Any ambassador who comes to your country will be subjected to Geneva Convention prescripts. And a country like ours is also guided by that. Individuals present their credentials to the state and the president through Dirco, which accepts or rejects individuals,” Mbalula said.

He said that the ANC does not have the standing or legal authority to influence diplomatic selections, reiterating that such decisions are made at the state level.

“As the ANC, we don’t interfere with diplomats who come to our country and the choices governments make about who they send to different countries. It’s not our call. We don’t have the capacity, we don’t have a standing, we don’t have a locus standi to pronounce on such matters,” he explained.

Mbalula acknowledged that while concerns may arise regarding individuals’ political views prior to their diplomatic appointments, once they assume their roles, they are expected to adhere to diplomatic norms rather than personal political ideologies.

“Of course, as much as we can raise concerns about people who are not diplomats, about their political views before they become diplomats, it’s a matter for another day. But once you become a diplomat, you are guided by certain prescripts – no longer about your political beliefs only – you are guided by diplomatic prescripts,” he stated.

“Representing a country is bigger than you yourself as an individual.”

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

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