South African ambassador expelled by Trump receives hero’s welcome at home

The South African ambassador, who had a row with US President Donald Trump’s administration, received a raucous welcome home and reacted defiantly.

Ebrahim Rasool and his wife Rosieda were surrounded by crowds on Sunday as they entered the arrivals terminal in their hometown at Cape Town International Airport. They needed a police escort to guide them through the building.

As he addressed his supporters with a megaphone, Rasool said, “A declaration of persona non grata is meant to humiliate you.” However, I will wear my persona non grata as a badge of dignity when you return to crowds like this and with warmth like this.

“We come home with no regrets, even though it wasn’t our choice.”

After Trump punished South Africa for its actions and accused it of being anti-American, Rasool added that fixing relations with the US was crucial.

Trump’s administration allegedly supports the Palestinian organization Hamas and Iran and pursues anti-white policies at home with an executive order last month that would end all funding for South Africa.

In a case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December of this year, Israel is accused of breaking the terms of the Genocide Convention in its occupation of the Gaza Strip. Since South Africa joined the genocide case, more than ten nations have.

Rasool addressed the crowd, “We don’t come here to say we’re anti-American.” We are not calling on you to abandon our ties to the United States.

Since the Trump administration declared the former ambassador persona non grata over a week ago, removed his diplomatic privileges, and gave him until Friday to leave the country, they were the ex-ambassador’s first public remarks. Rasool was described as a “race-baiting politician” who hated the US and Trump, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the declaration on X.

The US’s expulsion of a foreign ambassador is unusual.

Rubio’s post was linked to a report from the conservative Breitbart news site that covered Rasool’s presentation during a webinar hosted by a South African think tank. Rasool mentioned the possibility of a US where white people would soon no longer be a majority in the majority in his speech, in academic terms, referring to the Trump administration’s crackdowns on diversity and equity programs and immigration.