In London, SA-US relations are still rosy, says high commissioner
Despite friction in Washington DC, SA high commissioner to UK, Jeremiah Mamabolo, says he has ‘no problems’ with US diplomats in London.
While diplomatic relations between South Africa and the United States (US) have hit a worrying low, that is not the case for bonds between Pretoria and London.
And according to South Africa’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), relations between SA and US diplomats in London are markedly more cordial than those of Pretoria and Washington DC representatives stateside.
“I interact with US diplomats [in London] and have no problems with them,” Jeremiah Mamabolo told The South African on Monday, illustrating the complicated mechanics of international relations and diplomacy – especially in light of the United States and United Kingdom being major allies.
Mamabolo’s experience with US diplomats in London is vastly different from the relationship between Ebrahim Rasool – SA’s now-former ambassador to US – and the Americans.
Rasool-Rubio recap
Last Friday, Rasool was declared “persona non grata“ by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in the latest nadir of relations between Pretoria and Washington DC.
Rubio accused Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician” who hates the US and its president Donald Trump.
“South Africa’s ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country,” Rubio posted on Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter).
The United States’ chief diplomat, referencing a news report by Breitbart, was seemingly angered by parts of Rasool’s comments during a a recent Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection webinar.
Rasool’s comments were ‘undiplomatic’, says ex-ambassador
Asked about Rasool’s conduct and the former Western Cape premier’s expulsion from the US, Mamabolo – once South Africa’s Ambassador to Nigeria, refrained from passing judgment before Rasool had given President Cyril Ramaphosa a report into the incident.
“Let’s wait for the full report, so that [Rasool] can take President Cyril Ramaphosa and people of South Africa into his confidence,” Mamabolo said.
However, Kingsley Makhubela, South Africa’s former ambassador to Portugal, took the view that Rasool had been undiplomatic in supposedly disparaging comments of the US and Trump, ascribed to him by Rubio and Breitbart.
“Once he started to venture into the domestic space, the lingo, the language, everything used here. It’s so polarised, and he got involved in that, he got entangled in that, and used the language that as a sitting ambassador he should not have used to describe the president that he’s accredited to,” Makhubela said.
In light of Makhubela’s comments, Mamabolo said it was important “to not rush to newspapers and the media” whenever there were disagreements. The high commissioner to the UK also reiterated South Africa’s commitment to “resetting the relationship with the US”.
“We are keen to ensure good relations,” said Mamabolo.
Rasool, who was stripped of his diplomatic privileges and immunities on Monday, 17 March, must leave the United States no later than Friday, 21 March.
He is expected to land at the Cape Town International Airport on Sunday and the ANC’s Dullar Omar region has begun rallying Capetonians to descend on the airport to give “teller of truth” Rasool “a hero’s welcome”, according to an Instagram post by ANC member of Parliament Khusela Diko.
Meanwhile, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) has confirmed that a new ambassador is being sought to head to Washington DC as Rasool’s replacement.
Do you think SA-US relations, particularly in Washington DC, can still be restored?
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