US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused South Africa’s ambassador of hating the US and President Trump.
South Africa has said the US decision to expel Ambassador Ebrahim Lasor is “remorse,” but the country has said it is “continuedly committed to building mutually beneficial relationships” with Washington.
The South African presidency urged “all relevant and influenced stakeholders to maintain established diplomatic ornamental decorations in their involvement in the matter.” Hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was called a “racially bored politician” who hated the US and President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was called Marco Rubio.
Rubio wrote to X that Lasol is “no longer welcome in our great nation,” adding, “he is considered Persona Non Grata because there is nothing to discuss with him.”
Rubio linked his remarks to an article by right-wing media outlet Breitbart. There, LaSaul says that during the 2024 election, Trump mobilized the “superficial instinct” and “dog whis” as “dog whis.”
However, South African political analyst Sandil Swana told Al Jazeera that the “core of the conflict” was Pretoria’s decision to form a genocide case in the International Court of Justice against Israel (a close American alliance) over the war with Gaza.
In February, anti-apartheid campaigner Rasool told the Zeteo news site that what South Africans experienced in apartheid rules “is on Palestinian steroids.”
Additionally, Swana explained that in the fight against apartheid, the United States “supported the apartheid regime.”
“[So] Lasole continues to point out America’s actions. It’s still about supporting apartheid and genocide,” he added.
Land Policy
Still, Washington’s decision to expel the South African ambassador comes at a time of rising tensions between the two countries. This is because Trump cut financial aid to South Africa after citing disapproval of land policy that he claimed allowed land to be seized from white farmers.
Last week, Trump pushed this further, saying South African farmers welcomed their settlement in the United States and reiterated that the South African government was “confiscating” the land from white people.
South Africa-born tech billionaire Elon Musk is a close Trump alliance and has accused him of having “open and racist possession laws.”
However, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa defended the policy and said the government is not confiscating the land, but rather aims to level the racial disparities in land ownership in the Black Majority.
