President Cyril Ramaphosa is under increasing pressure to appoint an ambassador to the United States as the deadline for the implementation of 30% tariffs on South African products looms. This urgency comes in the wake of the Presidency’s announcement on Monday regarding the appointment of Ambassador Vivianne Fock Tave as the new Seychelles Ambassador to the United Nations in New York.
The Government of National Unity (GNU) partners are intensifying their calls for Ramaphosa to make this appointment swiftly. South Africa has been without an ambassador to the US since March, following the expulsion of Ebrahim Rasool over comments that were perceived as an attack on the Trump administration.
In response to Rasool’s expulsion, Ramaphosa appointed Mcebisi Jonas as a special envoy. However, the Democratic Alliance (DA) revealed that the US government denied Jonas a diplomatic visa in May and informed the Presidency that he would not be recognized as South Africa’s official representative.
Both Jonas and Rasool have been critical of Trump on separate occasions, leading to their exclusion. In mid-March 2025, the Trump administration expelled Rasool as South Africa’s ambassador to the US after he made critical comments about the US government during a webinar. Rasool had described the “Make America Great Again” movement as partly driven by “a supremacist instinct” and anticipated demographic changes in the US, specifically the projected decline of the white population to minority status. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly denounced Rasool as a “race-baiting politician who hates America” and declared him persona non grata.
In 2020, Jonas referred to Trump as “a racist, homophobic, and narcissistic right-winger,” which resurfaced following his appointment as Special Envoy to the US. The exclusion of these two officials has coincided with escalating tensions between the US and South Africa, fueled by the US disapproval of South Africa’s legal proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice and the US freezing aid to South Africa.
GOOD Party secretary-general Brett Herron emphasized the need for Ramaphosa to update the nation on the Washington strategy. “President Cyril Ramaphosa owes the nation an update on progress with the nation’s diplomatic relationship with the US,” Herron said.
Another GNU partner, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), also urged Ramaphosa to prioritize the appointment of an ambassador. IFP national spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa stated that the urgency was necessary given the diplomatic fallout between the two countries and the impending handover of the G20 Presidency to the US.
Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) spokesperson Chrispin Phiri referred questions to the Presidency. However, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya did not respond to inquiries about the status of appointing an ambassador.
Last week, the Presidency and the DA were engaged in a war of words after the DA revealed that, despite being aware of the US rejection of Jonas’s credentials, the Presidency continued to present him as the special envoy to North America. The DA stated, “The United States of America denied Mcebisi Jonas a diplomatic visa in May this year. The US government has formally rejected Jonas’s credentials.”
In response, the Presidency warned against treating DA disinformation on international relations as official government policy. “Special Envoys do not present credentials, and Mr. Jonas’s role, while supportive of DTIC (Department of Trade, Industry and Competition) and DIRCO in trade negotiations and diplomatic relations, does not supersede them. He has been assisting in developing trade proposals and resetting diplomatic ties.”
Magwenya further stated that the DA’s insults against other nations and international organizations harm South Africa’s international relations and could negatively impact businesses and livelihoods dependent on global trade.
The impending 30% tariffs on South African exports to the US, expected to take effect next month, pose significant challenges to South Africa’s economy. Additionally, South Africa is on the brink of losing its African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) status when it expires this year. AGOA enables economic growth and development in sub-Saharan Africa by providing eligible countries with duty-free access to the US market for thousands of products.
