South Africa appoints special envoy to US amid tension

ISTANBUL

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the appointment of former deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas as his special envoy to Washington.

As a representative of the president and South African government, Jonas is “entrusted with the responsibility to advance South Africa's diplomatic, trade and bilateral priorities,” a statement from Ramaphosa’s office said on Monday.

Jonas is set to spearhead negotiations, forge strategic alliances, and collaborate with US government officials as well as industry leaders to advance national interests.

Ramaphosa emphasized the longstanding “historical and strategic” ties between the two nations, noting their shared interests not just bilaterally, but also for the broader African continent, and said: “I remain committed to rebuilding and maintaining this relationship for more decades on the basis of mutual respect, recognition of each other’s sovereignty and benefit for our respective peoples.”

In a separate statement, the president reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to sustaining positive ties with current trade partners while also building new trade connections.

“Trade must remain free, predictable and governed by a rules-based system,” he said.

“As government, business and labour, we will continue to deepen our collaboration as we navigate a global trade environment that has become increasingly complex."

Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared South Africa’s ambassador to the US persona non grata after Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool accused Trump of pursuing policies and practices that the envoy characterized as "a white supremacist response to growing demographic diversity in the United States."

Trump also signed an executive order last month cutting US financial assistance to South Africa, citing concerns about its land expropriation law, a genocide case against Israel at the ICJ and deepening ties with Iran.