US expels South African envoy, saying he 'hates' Trump

WASHINGTON: The US decision to expel South Africa’s ambassador was “regrettable,” the office of the South African president said Saturday, after Washington’s top diplomat accused the envoy of hating America and President Donald Trump.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that South Africa’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, was “no longer welcome” in the United States. Rasool is “a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS,” Rubio posted on X, referring to Trump by his White House X account handle. “We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA.”

South Africa’s presidency said in a statement it had “noted the regrettable expulsion” and urged “all relevant and impacted stakeholders to maintain the established diplomatic decorum in their engagement with the matter.”

“South Africa remains committed to building a mutually beneficial relationship with the United States of America,” the presidency said.

The expulsion of the ambassador -- a very rare move by the United States -- is the latest development in rising tensions between Washington and Pretoria. Trump in February froze US aid to South Africa, citing a law in the country that he alleges allows land to be seized from white farmers.

Last week, Trump further fueled tensions, saying South Africa’s farmers were welcome to settle in the United States after repeating his accusations that the government was “confiscating” land from white people. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that “any Farmer (with family!) from South Africa, seeking to flee that country for reasons of safety, will be invited into the United States of America with a rapid pathway to Citizenship.”

Meanwhile, several employees at Voice of America were placed on paid leave on Saturday, one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order gutting the U.S. government-funded media outlet’s parent and six other federal agencies. Multiple workers at Voice of America, an international media broadcaster that operates in more than 40 languages, shared with Reuters an email that placed them on administrative leave with full pay and benefits “until otherwise notified.”

It was not immediately clear how many employees were placed on leave. The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which also funds Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.