South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday appointed former Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas as a special envoy to the United States, amid rapidly escalating diplomatic tensions with the Trump administration.The app ointment follows the March expulsion of South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, who was declared persona non grata after comments critical of former President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement during a think tank webinar. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement, accused Rasool of “race-baiting” and hostility toward Trump, prompting his removal.
Ramaphosa stated that Jonas’ appointment aims to “rebuild mutual trust and open dialogue” between the two countries. Jonas, a respected technocrat, is expected to navigate what many in Pretoria describe as the most strained period in U.S.–South Africa relations since the end of apartheid. Relations deteriorated sharply following Trump’s executive order in February, which cut U.S. aid to South Africa over what he described as the country’s “anti-American foreign policy” and alleged human rights abuses. Trump has repeatedly accused South Africa’s Black-led government of “seizing land from white farmers” and claimed they are being “killed with impunity”—a narrative also echoed by South African-born adviser Elon Musk. The South African government has denied those claims, calling them “misinformation.”
The controversy intensified after South Africa passed a land expropriation bill in December 2023, which allows the seizure of land without compensation if deemed in the public interest. Though no land has yet been taken, white minority groups and U.S. conservative commentators have labeled the law discriminatory. Pretoria maintains it is a step toward correcting historic land injustices.
Adding to the rift, South Africa filed a high-profile case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in January accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza—a move criticized by the Trump administration as aligning with “anti-American” actors like Hamas and Iran. This weekend, Trump reignited the feud by threatening to boycott the 2025 G20 summit in Johannesburg, citing security and political concerns. “Is this where we want to be for the G20? I don’t think so!” he posted on Truth Social, referring again to claims of racial violence against white South Africans. South Africa, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the G20, has not yet responded to Trump’s latest comments. Meanwhile, the U.S. has not named a replacement ambassador, and the diplomatic post in Washington remains vacant.
