Bulelwa Hoala

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) has confirmed that International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola met with South Africa’s expelled ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool on Monday.
In a statement released on Monday Dirco said, “Following the meeting, a formal report will be submitted to President for his consideration. Pending this, the Ministry or Department will not engage in public engagements on the matter.”
This comes after Rasool was expelled from Washington last week by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and declared “persona non grata” for critical comments he made about the Trump administration at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection webinar.
The US government gave Rasool a week to leave the United States.
Rasool landed at Cape Town International Airport on Sunday, 23 March 2025 and was greeted with a rousing welcome from the public.
With his wife Rodieda by his side, Rasool addressed the media and said, “It was not our choice to come home, but we come home with no regrets.”
According to reports, this was Rasool’s second stint as South Africa’s ambassador to the US, as he previously served from 2010 until 2015 when Barack Obama was the US president.
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