South Africa still waits for a new ambassador to the US

DIPLOMACY

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s special advisor for investment promotion, Alistair Ruiters, still appears to be the preferred candidate to replace Ebrahim Rasool as Ambassador to the United States, ten months after the latter was expelled and declared “persona non grata” by US President Donald Trump's administration.

Ruiters reportedly has a strong backing from the business community and the DA, who view him as a pragmatic, professional choice capable of navigating US markets and politics.

Other candidates are ANC veteran and former Minister of Defence and Constitutional Development Roelf Meyer, Marthinus van Schalkwyk (former leader of the National Party who later joined the ANC and served as Minister of Tourism), Andries Nel (the current Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development), Gerhardus Koornhof (President’s parliamentary counsellor), Trevor Manuel (former Finance Minister) and Tony Leon, who is a former DA leader and former Ambassador to Argentina.

Rasool was expelled by the US government and declared “persona non grata” after he criticised Trump’s administration during an online webinar, accusing it of “mobilising supremacism".

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) yesterday would not divulge what stage, the process to replace Rasool, had reached.

Following Rasool's expulsion, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed former Deputy Minister of Finance, Mcebisi Jonas, as a special envoy to the US in April to manage bilateral, trade and diplomatic priorities while the permanent position remained vacant. 

However, the US government denied Jonas a diplomatic visa and rejected his credentials, citing past critical remarks in which he reportedly called Trump a “racist”, “homophobe”, and a “narcissistic right-winger” in 2020.

International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola, in August, stated that the process of replacing Rasool with a new ambassador to the US was at an “advanced stage” with a decision “imminent”, emphasising that the vacant post was not the cause of US tariff issues, which were a global phenomenon. 

This was after the US imposed a 30% tariff on South African goods, arguing that the country maintains “unfair” tariff and non-tariff barriers that restrict US products. 

Tensions between South Africa and the US have further heightened, regarding the Venezuela issue following a large-scale US military operation, which led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

This is after South Africa, through Dirco, condemned the US military strikes as a “manifest violation” of the UN Charter. 

Asked how far the process is, Lamola’s spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, said questions should be sent to the Presidency. However, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, did not respond at the time of publication. 

Meanwhile, the US has appointed Leo Brent Bozell III as its new ambassador to South Africa. The appointment was confirmed by the US Senate on December 18, 2025.

An expert close to the situation said that although the process of appointing an ambassador has never been an issue, “the 'right-wing' political interests in South Africa want to politicise the position, adding that all candidates have been selected to represent specific interests”. 

He said these candidates were selected to please both the US and Israel, adding that this could force South Africa to withdraw the case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“If you make an appointment that does not please the US and Israel, they will still reject,” the source said.

International relations expert, Professor Kgothatso Shai, said the escalation of tensions between South Africa and the US is largely responsible for the delay in appointing the ambassador. 

“Whoever is appointed as the new Ambassador of South Africa to the US would have to present diplomatic credentials to Trump, who is deeply aggrieved by the government of South Africa. So, the current timing is not good. The US may want to frustrate this process as a way of asserting its superiority in relation to South Africa,” Shai said. 

Political analyst Sandile Swana said there are no imminent prospects for a meaningful diplomatic relationship between South Africa and the US until the case at the ICJ is finished, and until South Africa separates itself from Iran, China and Russia. 

“Instead of doing that, I am told that South Africa (is planning) public military exercises with the three countries. So, no progress can be made in improving the relationship between South Africa and the US."