As the United States administration led by President Donald Trump continues on the path of unilateral action targeting Pretoria in different forms, former US ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard has expressed concern.
In the series of drastic action, IOL has reported that South Africa is this week preparing to receive its former Ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, who was expelled by the State Department in Washington last week.
IOL has previously reported that Rasool was expelled from the USA on Friday, after sharing his opinion on Donald Trump’s presidency during a webinar. The Trump administration expelled Rasool, giving him 72 hours to leave the US.
In a social media post, United States' Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Rasool a "race-baiting politician who hates America" and Trump.
Unimpressed by Rubio's latest action, Patrick Gaspard, a distinguished senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress Action Fund also took to social media where he criticised his country.
Gaspard wrote: "We should note that Marco Rubio himself said far worse things about Donald Trump in the past than anything said by Ambassador Rasool. Let’s be real about what these people are up to with their obsessive targeting of South Africa and their performance of grievance".
Gaspard was a key figure in former US president Barack Obama’s administration, and held a number of prominent positions during Obama’s two terms in office - including serving as US ambassador to South Africa.
Meanwhile, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) in Pretoria said efforts are underway to replace Rasool and attempt to fix bilateral relations.
Rasool previously served as SA ambassador to the US during the Obama administration between 2010 and 2015. He was re-appointed in January 2025, as ambassador during the Joe Biden and then Donald Trump administration.
Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that Dirco will make a recommendation on the replacement to President Cyril Ramaphosa, before the president applies his mind.
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“The process has started to some extent so that we can make a recommendation to the president (Ramaphosa), internally so the department will attend to the internal issues once the person has been duly nominated. This person will be presented, the name, to the president and of course the president will decide,” he said.
“That will require us to follow the processes of the Foreign Services Act, which can take a life of their own, but that is why we have started in the interim all the administrative processes, so that the other processes with other sister departments are expedited.”
During the Newzroom Afrika interview, Phiri could not be drawn into the discussion on whether a specific individual has already been identified, save to say the internal processes of Dirco had begun.
IOL