US yanks Naledi Pandor’s visa as SA–US tensions spike ahead of G20
Former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor has had her US visa abruptly revoked
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In a move that will likely worsen the already low relations between South Africa and the United States, former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor has had her US visa abruptly revoked by US the government.
Pandor confirmed the news, saying she received a brief email from the US Consulate notifying her of the revocation, which did not explain the decision.
Pandor retired last year and has been a vocal supporter of Palestine. She was the minister when South Africa initiated and filed a case of alleged genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) , a move that was opposed by the US government..
This comes amid growing tensions between the two countries, over the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg set to start on Saturday. President Cyril Ramaphosa pushed has back on US government's plan to send a low-level delegation, led by a chargé d’affaires Marc Dillard, for the ceremonial handover of the G20 Presidency.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has also criticised Ramaphosa, saying he was “running his mouth” after comments he made about the US participation.
IOL previously reported that Pandor has expressed disappointment over US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s decision not to attend the upcoming G20 foreign ministers' summit.
"I think it's extremely disappointing and of concern. I hope that our Minister of International Relations is speaking to certainly Secretary Rubio, but broadly the State Department, senior officials through the director general of our department in South Africa, really to engage and persuade and to inform."
Pandor also stressed the importance of diplomatic efforts to counter misconceptions about South Africa.
"We have been and are a good partner to the United States of America, and we need to provide information as to the factual position on all the matters that have been raised thus far, many of which I think have been really misconstrued. So, a great deal of diplomatic effort is needed on our part," she said.
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