By Rodwell Andy.
Rasool had a meeting with Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola on Monday told the Ambassador Ebrahim Rassol after their meeting that a formal report will be forwarded to President Cyril Ramaphosa following the meeting for his evaluation.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) confirmed that Minister Ronald Lamola conferred with Ebrahim Rasool, the ousted envoy to the United States, on Monday.
“Post-meeting, a formal report will be sent to the president for his appraisal. Until then, the ministry will refrain from public discussions regarding the issue,” the department remarked in a statement.
This discussion took place just a day after Rasool disembarked in Cape Town on Sunday, having been dismissed from Washington by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Intensifying expectations are placed on President Cyril Ramaphosa to assign Rasool’s position to someone acceptable to US President Donald Trump’s administration and repair the strained connections between the US and South Africa.
Rasool returned home to a lively reception from hundreds of supporters from the ANC Dullah Omar region, the SACP, and the trade union confederation Cosatu.
Rasool was declared persona non grata and expelled from Washington last week due to remarks he made about the Trump administration.
As reported by Quotidiantimes, Rasool expressed to his supporters that he remains steadfast in his comments, which further incited the US.
With his spouse Rosieda at his side, Rasool discussed the deteriorated relationship between the US and South Africa in recent weeks, asserting that these connections must be ‘rebuilt and reset’.
He stated:
We come here despite being branded persona non grata. We still arrive here advocating for opposition and resetting the relationship with America because our ties with America have not exclusively been with the White House for over 50 years.
“When the White House and Congress labeled us as terrorists, it was the dock workers in San Francisco who refused to handle South African products. When Congress opposed sanctions, it was the American populace who avoided our fruits and did not engage with our goods.
“And thus, we possess this relationship that we must rejuvenate, and we must reconstruct. We must strive for President Cyril Ramaphosa to carry on from where we ceased,” Rasool continued.
To Read : ‘Implacable foe’: As Rasool returns, ANC veteran Zikalala asserts it’s naïve to mend US relations
The friction between both nations has surged since Trump cut financial support in response to South Africa’s Expropriation Act and other foreign policy disagreements, including South Africa’s move to bring Israel before the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of war crimes against Palestinians.
Rasool’s statements during a recent Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection webinar seemingly escalated tensions and were utilized as grounds for his expulsion, with Rubio commenting online that Rasool “was no longer welcome in our great country”.
On Sunday, Rasool remarked: “But we cannot entertain a simplistic notion that … there must be a white ambassador for a white president in the United States. We recognize it’s not accurate. We endeavored traditional diplomacy and attempted to circumvent discussions about genocide. We pursued conventional diplomacy, and [the US] insisted we disregard the validity of land confiscation. We could not overlook that.”
The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation verifies that Minister Ronald Lamola has held discussions with Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, following his return from the United States of America.
The expelled Ambassador is encouraging South Africans to “reject the politics of divisiveness” emerging globally.
“In particular, we must confront the utterly inaccurate narrative that our nation is a place where individuals of a specific race or culture are targeted for persecution,” he stated.
Ramaphosa articulated that South Africans should “not permit incidents beyond our borders to split us or incite animosity among ourselves”.
Last week, the president cautioned against actions that could further exacerbate tensions between the US and South Africa.
Despite this warning, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and ANC Veterans League president Snuki Zikalala penned critiques of the Trump administration over the weekend.
