President Cyril Ramaphosa may have to search for another envoy to the US after Mcebisi Jonas received the cold shoulder from President Donald Trump’s administration, which requested he not form part of the government delegation visiting Washington.
TimesLIVE Premium understands that Jonas was initially part of the delegation to the White House, where it was expected he would make contact with his counterparts to continue trade negotiations and reset relations between the two countries.
According to a government insider, Ramaphosa may have to rethink his decision to appoint Jonas as his special envoy to the US after this reaction by Washington. They said Jonas was in London, having been refused a visa to the US.
In an interview with radio station 702, presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Jonas’s absence had no consequence for the meeting, adding he would continue with other engagements.
“I am not aware of the visa issues. I am aware that there were some displeasures that were expressed,” he said.
Magwenya said should the displeasure of the Trump administration towards Jonas not be resolved during the meeting, Ramaphosa “would have to consider his options”.
Magwenya told TimesLIVE Premium that initial interpretations of procedural matters, communicated in good faith, have been amended after confirmation that Jonas holds a valid visa for travel to the US.
“No formal concerns or substantive enquiries related to his professional responsibilities have been brought to the attention of this office.
“Mr Jonas contributed to preparatory engagements ahead of the meeting between President Ramaphosa and President Donald Trump, including consultations abroad. His absence from Washington, at his own request, has no bearing on the president’s official programme,” Magwenya said.
Jonas’s appointment raised concerns after a video resurfaced in which he referred to Trump as a “racist”, “homophobe” and “narcissistic right-winger” during an Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Annual Lecture in 2020.
Jonas's appointment came amid escalating tensions between South Africa and the US, with the previous South African ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, having been expelled for criticising Trump's administration after the US leader expressed disapproval of South Africa's land policies and threatened to boycott the G20 summit in November.
Jonas has been tasked with advancing South Africa's diplomatic, trade and bilateral priorities and engaging with US government officials to promote the country's interests.
Despite concerns raised over Jonas’s appointment, the presidency and the department of international relations and co-operation defended the decision, arguing that Trump did not hold grudges.
Magwenya previously said Rasool's and Jonas's situation were not the same and that Rasool was in office when he had made those comments.
“There’s a distinct difference between the comments Rasool made in his capacity as an ambassador. Jonas made these comments when he was a private citizen at the time.
“We believe the Trump administration will be able to differentiate this issue contextually, and that Jonas will engage appropriately with counterparts and officials in Trump's administration on behalf of the president and South Africa.”
The US’s hostility towards Jonas could also mean that Ramaphosa may have to fast-track his search for an ambassador to the US.
The Sunday Times previously reported Pretoria was considering a shortlist of four white Afrikaners — one of them Roelf Meyer — as the new ambassador. Among the other names on the shortlist are:
- Marthinus van Schalkwyk;
- longtime ANC member and deputy justice minister Andries Nel; and
- the parliamentary counsellor for the president, Gerhardus Koornhof, the late National Party minister Piet Koornhof’s son.
This story has been updated with further comment from the presidency's Vincent Magwenya
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