Jonas off to the US as special envoy

By Thapelo Molefe

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas as his Special Envoy to the United States following the expulsion of former ambassador Ebrahim Rasool by the US government—a rare diplomatic rebuke that has placed significant strain on relations between Pretoria and Washington.

The announcement, made by the Presidency on Monday, comes just weeks after Rasool was declared persona non grata and expelled by Washington over remarks deemed offensive by the Trump administration.

Rasool, in a recent webinar, described the “Make America Great Again” movement as a manifestation of white supremacist anxiety over demographic change in the U.S.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly accused Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS,” prompting his forced return to South Africa in March.

In a statement, Ramaphosa said Jonas would “lead negotiations, foster strategic partnerships and engage with US government officials