South African Ambassador Has Until Friday to Leave US: State Department

Ebrahim Rasool speaks onstage at the Shared Interest 19th Annual Awards Gala in New York on March 18, 2013. Donald Bowers/Getty Images for Shared Interest

The State Department has imposed a Friday deadline for South Africa’s ambassador to the United States to leave the country.

Ebrahim Rasool’s diplomatic privileges and immunities in the United States expired on Monday, according to officials.

“He’s had his privileges, but those did expire today,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a Monday briefing. “Technically, he has a week from the notice, so that now expires on Friday.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Rasool “persona non grata” (PNG) following his controversial comments about President Donald Trump. A PNG declaration on a foreign national prohibits that person from entering the United States and revokes their privileges.

According to the State Department, senior-level diplomats immediately summoned South African embassy staff to formally notify them of Rasool’s ousting.

Rasool during a video conference with a South African think tank criticized Trump, apparantly suggesting that the president was leading a white supremacist movement. Rasool also criticized tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was born and raised in South Africa and is now a senior adviser to Trump, noting that Musk labeled white South Africans an embattled community. The ambassador also questioned Musk’s involvement in the affairs of other countries, citing his support for Nigel Farage and the Reform UK party.

Following his comment, Rubio in a statement on X said that Rasool is no longer welcome in the United States and accused him of being a “race-baiting” politician who hates Trump.

The State Department elaborated on Rubio’s decision.

“It’s not about criticism,” Bruce said in a response to a reporter’s question about whether all U.S. ambassadors should fear being expelled when criticizing the Trump administration. “This was the equation of the president and the country with white supremacy. It was an allegation that casts such an awful light on the nature of the country. If we don’t have a standard about the nature of someone who is in this country, who is supposed to be a diplomat to help facilitate the relationship between two countries ... we deserve better.”

In February, Trump signed an executive order that halted all aid to South Africa, alleging “serious human rights violations.” South Africa has also sided with terrorists and taken positions against the United States and its allies, according to Trump.

“Merely two months after the October 7th terrorist attacks on Israel, South Africa accused Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International Court of Justice,” a White House fact sheet on the executive order states. “South Africa also strengthened ties with Iran, which supports terrorism globally.”

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa described Rubio’s decision as “regrettable” and pledged to continue to build a “mutually beneficial relationship” with the United States.

“The Presidency urges all relevant and impacted stakeholders to maintain the established diplomatic decorum in their engagement with the matter,” Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement.

Chrispin Phiri, a South African Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a television interview on Monday that Rasool was still in the United States but would be leaving as soon as possible.

Although lower-ranking diplomats are more frequently targeted with persona non grata status, it is rare for the United States to expel a foreign ambassador.

Rasool served as the South African Ambassador to the United States from 2010 to 2015 and for a second time this year. Prior to that, he served as a member of the National Assembly from 2009 to 2010 and the 5th premier of the Western Cape from 2004 to 2008.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News