- Title: South African ambassador 'no longer welcome' in the US, says Rubio
- Date: 14th March 2025
- Summary: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (FILE - UNKNOWN DATE) (REUTERS) SOUTH AFRICAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES, EBRAHIM RASOOL, SPEAKING DURING ISLAM'S HOLIEST MONTH, RAMADAN SAYING (English): "By 1657 the first Muslim had come to Cape Town, a century later there was a thriving community but they were enslaved and they were exiled, this castle that we are in is a place where the du
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Donald Trump Marco Rubio South Africa United States X ambassador foreign relations politicians
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: US
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,North America,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA003900414032025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday (March 14) declared Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa's ambassador to the U.S., persona non grata, calling the envoy a "race-baiting politician" who hates America and President Donald Trump, in a post on social media platform X.
Rasool had presented his credentials to former President Joe Biden on January 13, marking the start of the envoy's tenure, according to the South African embassy's website, which said this was Rasool's second stint in Washington.
The U.S. State Department and South Africa's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ties between the United States and South Africa have deteriorated since Trump cut U.S. financial aid to the country, citing disapproval of its land policy and of its genocide case at the International Court of Justice against Washington's ally Israel.
(Production: Leila Dougan) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None