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Former South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool returned home to a hero’s welcome on Sunday after being expelled from the US and declared persona non grata by the Trump administration, the Associated Press reported. Hundreds of supporters gathered at Cape Town International Airport, singing songs and waving Palestinian flags as Rasool and his wife, Rosieda, arrived at the terminal, the report stated.
‘A Badge of Dignity’
Speaking to supporters through a megaphone, Rasool framed his expulsion as an honour rather than a humiliation.“A declaration of persona non grata is meant to humiliate you. But when you return to crowds like this, and with warmth like this, then I will wear my persona non grata as a badge of dignity,” AP quoted Rasool as saying.
“It was not our choice to come home, but we come home with no regrets,” he reportedly said while still underlining the importance of maintaining South Africa’s relationship with the US.
“We don’t come here to say we are anti-American,” he told the crowd, adding, “We are not here to call on you to throw away our interests with the US.”
Why Was Rasool Expelled?
Rasool’s expulsion was announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on March 14, in a post on X. Rubio called Rasool a “race-baiting politician” who “hates the US and Trump.”
Rubio’s statement cited a Breitbart News article that highlighted remarks Rasool made during a webinar hosted by a South African think tank. In his talk, Rasool criticised the Trump administration’s stance on diversity, equity, and immigration policies. He also reportedly referenced US demographic changes, noting that the white voting population is projected to drop to 48% in the near future.
“The supremacist assault on incumbency, we see it in the domestic politics of the U.S.A., the MAGA movement, the Make America Great Again movement, as a response not simply to a supremacist instinct, but to very clear data that shows great demographic shifts in the U.S.A.,” Rasool had said, according to AP.
Upon his return to the home country, Rasool defended his comments, insisting he was analysing political trends rather than attacking the U.S. “It is not the US of Obama, it is not the US of Clinton, it is a different US, and therefore our language must change,” he reportedly said, adding, “I would stand by my analysis because we were analysing a political phenomenon, not a personality, not a nation, and not even a government.”
Rasool’s expulsion comes amid growing tensions between South Africa and the US, particularly over South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The Trump administration has accused South Africa of being anti-American due to its criticism of Israel and alleged support for Hamas and Iran.
Rasool dismissed US pressure on South Africa to drop the case, vowing that his country would stand firm. “As we stand here, the bombing [in Gaza] has continued, and the shooting has continued,” Rasool further said. “If South Africa was not in the ICJ, Israel would not be exposed, and the Palestinians would have no hope.”
Rasool’s return has further energised pro-Palestinian activists in South Africa, some of whom were seen chanting “Free Palestine” at the airport.
“We cannot sacrifice the Palestinians,” he stressed. “But we will also not give up our relationship with the United States. We must fight for it, but we must keep our dignity.”
