Rasool ‘stands by’ remarks on Trump administration upon arrival back in SA

Former South African ambassador to the US Ebrahim Rasool arrived at Cape Town International Airport on Sunday, 23 March, where he was welcomed home by fellow ANC members and trade union representatives. A crowd gathered in the rain outside the airport to hear Rasool speak about his abrupt expulsion from the US, which came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared him “persona non grata” in a post on X on 14 March. In a statement released later by Rasool he said of the US that “we must fight for the relationship, but not at the expense of our dignity because we will not be bullied. We must have an ambassador urgently in Washington, but not to confirm the idea that only a white ambassador devoid of our values can speak to a white president. We get some analysis on the latest developments from Risk Analyst and former diplomat, Kingsley Makhubela.