Former SA ambassador to the US Ebrahim Rasool is expected to return home this week after being expelled by the Trump administration.
Rasool, who returned for a second term as SA’s top diplomat in the US in January, was on Friday given 72 hours to leave after being declared “persona non grata” by secretary of state Marco Rubio.
Rubio described Rasool as a “race-baiting politician who hates America” and President Donald Trump after the ambassador participated in a webinar criticising Trump and described him as a leader of a global white supremacist group.
Business Day understands that plans are under way between the department of international relations & co-operation and the presidency to appoint Rasool’s replacement.
The department manages the process of appointing ambassadors and makes recommendations to the president.
The presidency is calling for calm after the US expelled Rasool. This move was an escalation in tension between the two nations, which are big trading partners.
The move seemed to be in line with Trump’s antagonistic stance towards SA, which has resulted in the halting of funding. His government has offered humanitarian assistance to white Afrikaners who he said are facing racial discrimination — a claim the SA government has denied.
“SA remains committed to building a mutually beneficial relationship with the US,” spokesperson to the president Vincent Magwenya said in a statement.
The fallout between the US and SA, with the expectation that the US is planning harsher sanctions against SA including removal from Agoa, has necessitated the need for SA to search for alternative markets for its exports.
Deputy president Paul Mashatile will from Sunday undertake a four-day working visit to Japan to strengthen ties between the two countries.
“During the working visit, the deputy president and his delegation will meet the Japanese government and private sector stakeholders to advance SA’s key economic growth drivers such as manufactured-led growth and increasing SA exports,” Mashatile’s office said in a statement.
Political negotiations over finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s budget, tabled last Wednesday, will continue this week ahead of the 16 day deadline for the budget to be passed in parliament.
The ANC holds 159 seats (39.8%) in the National Assembly and requires the support of either the DA (21.8%), the IFP (14.6%) or the EFF (9.5%) to approve the budget. The DA has rejected the budget which includes a 0.5 percentage point VAT hike.
The ANC, however, has previously said that it is open to look outside its partners in the GNU in order for the budget to pass.
In an explanatory note on the budget process, parliament said the fiscal framework and revenue proposals had to be adopted within 16 days after the budget is tabled.
“The PFMA [Public Finance Management Act] allows the executive to continue spending temporarily based on previous allocations until parliament approves the new budget. This provision ensures that essential government services continue without disruption,” parliament said.
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