Washington: The United States has expelled South African ambassador to Washington, accusing him of hostility to the country and President Donald Trump.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X on Friday.
He said Ebrahim Rasool was a “racially seductive politician who hates America and hates @potus” and he refers to Trump in his White House X account.
“We have nothing to discuss with him, so he is regarded as the character, nongrata.”
The expulsion is the latest development in rising tensions between Washington and Pretoria.
Trump froze U.S. aid to South Africa in February, citing a law in the country allegedly allowing land to be occupied from white farmers.
One of Trump’s closest allies is South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, who accused South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration of possession of “open racist ownership laws.”
Land ownership is a controversial issue in South Africa, with most of the farmland still owned by white people under the pressure of apartheid and the government under the pressure of implementing reforms.
At a G20 event in South Africa last month, Ramaphosa said he made a “weak” call with Trump shortly after the U.S. leader took office in January.
But then the relationship “seems a little off track,” he said.
