Motlanthe calls for stronger South Africa-US ties

Zuma

Cape Town – Former president Kgalema Motlanthe has called for the government to repair its strained relationship with the United States and strengthen its long-standing ties with the European Union.

His comments came after tensions escalated between South Africa and the US, following the expulsion of US ambassador Ebrahim Rasool.

Motlanthe made these remarks during his acceptance of an Honorary Doctorate at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), where he was honoured for his efforts in stabilising the government between two ANC presidencies.

“Well, South Africa should always respect and nurture and strengthen relations with other nations. the most important of those are the ones who are trading with South Africa,” SABC News quoted him as saying.

“The European Union is the South Africa’s number one trading partner, and South Africa should really cement and strengthen the relations with the European Union. And of course, they mend the relations with the United States of America.

“In the past, the way it was done was that you need a consummate diplomat to look after the relations at State to State relations. But you also need one who is adept at building relations, people to people relations, because that’s what underpins good diplomatic relations here.”

Tensions escalated on Friday when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X that  Rasool was “persona non grata”.

“South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country. Ebrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS. We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA,” Rubio wrote, sharing a link to an article from the conservative news outlet Breitbart.

The article reported that Rasool, in an online seminar, had described Trump’s Make America Great Again movement as “a white supremacist response to growing demographic diversity in the United States.”

Rubio labelled Rasool a “race-baiting politician” who despises President Trump.

Rasool has also faced criticism from former diplomat Kingsley Mathebula, who condemned his comments and suggested that they contributed to his expulsion from the post.

At a seminar hosted by the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection, Rasool had remarked that Trump’s leadership was rooted in white supremacy.

Polarising language

Mathebula, who served as South Africa’s ambassador to Portugal and Kenya, argued that, regardless of the accuracy of Rasool’s views, expressing them publicly was undiplomatic.

“Once he started to venture into the domestic space, the language used was so polarised, and he got entangled in that. As a sitting ambassador, he should not have used such language to describe the president he’s accredited to,” Mathebula was quoted as saying by EWN.

Mathebula called Rasool’s actions reckless, particularly his use of polarising language about the US president.

Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the situation on Monday, saying that he expects a comprehensive report from Rasool following his abrupt removal from his diplomatic post.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Bana Pele Early Childhood Development Leadership Summit in Braamfontein, Gauteng, Ramaphosa acknowledged the diplomatic strain caused by Rasool’s remarks but emphasised that discussions with the US were ongoing.

“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. We will engage with them as we are already engaging with them,” Ramaphosa said.

Rasool’s expulsion has raised concerns about the potential impact on South Africa-US relations, particularly in the areas of trade and diplomatic cooperation.

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