The United States has expelled South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, in an unprecedented diplomatic move, signaling rising tensions between the two nations. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Rasool is “no longer welcome” in the country, citing the diplomat’s alleged animosity toward America and former President Donald Trump.
In a statement shared on the social media platform X, Rubio described Ebrahim Rasool as a “race-baiting politician” and stated that the US has “nothing to discuss with him”. This strong stance reflects the growing strain in US- South Africa relations and has drawn international attention.
The South African government, however, has denied accusations of racial bias in its policies, with officials maintaining that its domestic laws are not race-based. Despite this, a White House fact sheet has accused South Africa of “blatantly discriminating against ethnic minority descendants of settler groups”.
While lower-level diplomatic expulsions are not uncommon, it is highly unusual for the US to take such action against a senior official like a foreign ambassador. The Associated Press noted that even during the Cold War, the US and Russia refrained from expelling high-ranking envoys.
Ebrahim Rasool’s diplomatic career includes a previous tenure as South Africa’s envoy to the US from 2010 to 2015. He was reappointed to the position in 2025. Born and raised in Cape Town, Rasool has been an influential political figure, shaped in part by his early experiences under apartheid. At the age of nine, his family was forcibly removed from their home in a white-only designated area — a formative event that played a crucial role in his political journey.
As the diplomatic rift between the US and South Africa deepens, the future of their bilateral relations remains uncertain. Both countries now face the challenge of navigating mounting tensions amid global scrutiny.
