US State Department Asks SA’s Ambassador to Depart by Friday

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According to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, Rasool’s diplomatic privileges and immunities lapsed on Monday, necessitating his exit from the United States by the end of the week.

As a part of the continuing diplomatic tensions between the two countries, the US State Department has directed that South Africa’s ambassador to the United States must depart the country by Friday. This decision came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded that Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was no longer welcome in the U.S.

He shared this determination on social media, prompting the South African embassy staff to be called to the State Department, where they received an official diplomatic note regarding the situation. According to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, Rasool’s diplomatic privileges and immunities lapsed on Monday, necessitating his exit from the United States by the end of the week.

A representative from the South African Foreign Ministry confirmed that Rasool remains in the U.S. but plans to leave as soon as possible. Bruce emphasised that the United States expects a certain standard of respect in diplomatic relations. She noted that while the U.S. has maintained a generally positive diplomatic relationship with South Africa, there are challenges that need to be addressed.

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This discussion followed weeks of pressure from Washington regarding a contentious land reform law in South Africa, which led to the US halting financial support to the nation. The US government claimed that the white minority in South Africa was being unjustly targeted, a charge that the Pretoria government strongly denied.