Rasool expulsion from US ‘a hiccup’ – Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa has labelled the expulsion of the South African ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, as “a hiccup” in relations between the two countries.
Rising tensions between the two countries boiled over on Friday, when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X that Rasool was no longer welcome in the United States, calling him "a race-baiting politician" who hates US President Donald Trump.
"Improving our relationship with the United States of America is a priority for us," Ramaphosa told journalists on Monday, adding the United States is "our second largest trading partner after China".
Rubio declared the South African ambassador "persona non grata" after Rasool spoke at an online seminar on Friday, describing Trump's Make America Great Again movement as "a white supremacist response to growing demographic diversity in the United States".
READ MORE: US expels South African ambassador, saying he 'hates' Trump
Speaking at the sideline of Monday’s Bana Pele Early Childhood Development Leadership Summit, Ramaphosa highlighted Rasool’s efforts in facilitating meaningful diplomatic dialogue with the Trump administration.
“This is a hiccup, a hiccup that we are working on straightening out. So, we are not being blue ticked, we cannot be blue ticked because we are such an important player to the United States of America as they are an important player to South Africa from a political point of view, trade point of view and from a whole number of other important points of view, so, we are not blue tickable,” he said.
Ramaphosa also confirmed that Rasool would submit a report upon his return to South Africa, and gave an assurance that efforts to engage the US diplomatically would continue.
“Improving our relationship with the United States of America is a priority for us. They are our trading partner – the second largest trading partner after China, and we will therefore seek, as we must, to ensure that our relations are on a good footing, which is something we do with all countries in the world,” Ramaphosa said.
“We don’t have enemies, we always seek to have very good and friendly relations,” he added.
On Saturday, the Presidency expressed its disappointment over Rasool’s expulsion, urging all relevant stakeholders to maintain diplomatic decorum in their dealings with the matter.
"South Africa remains committed to building a mutually beneficial relationship with the United States of America," the Presidency stated.
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