About South Africa’s Ambassador to the USA who was kicked out – Rasool debacle confirms SA’s declining interna tional reputation

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In recent weeks, much has been written and spoken about South Africa’s foreign relations—particularly with the U.S. In South Africa, the expulsion of the country’s new ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, has come up multiple times, and the visit of Solidarity Movement, an influential civil society role player, to the U.S. has attracted significant attention.

Academically, numerous articles and books have been published over the past decades on South Africa’s post-1994 foreign policy and international relations. One thing was clear: South Africa’s global standing grew significantly after 1994 under the leadership of former presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.

Nelson Mandela was an international figure both in Africa and globally. After him, Thabo Mbeki emerged as the champion of the vision of an African Renaissance while also playing a key role in establishing NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) as the framework for the continent’s macroeconomic development. In short, South Africa metaphorically "punched above its weight" and was internationally regarded as the leading power on the African continent. Likewise, South Africa was able to maintain its reputation by deploying a professional South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as a foreign policy tool in conflict resolution in Africa. Furthermore, the country also enjoyed healthy economic growth.

However, the ANC could not sustain this momentum, and ultimately, South Africa’s international standing began to decline. While various academics maintained that South Africa remained a leading international power, a significant book was published in 2018 by the highly regarded International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. The author, James Hamill, an academic from the University of Leicester, gave the book a particularly telling title: Africa’s Lost Leader: South Africa’s Continental Role Since Apartheid.

Hamill’s core argument was that, since 1994, South Africa had enjoyed broad international prestige. A large part of the international community viewed South Africa as an emerging middle power and a credible standard-bearer for efforts in Africa to promote conflict resolution, economic development, democracy, and human rights. However, Hamill also argued that internal political dynamics in South Africa increasingly hindered the country from meeting these expectations. Also, South Africa’s severe socio-economic challenges and the government’s inability to finance the SANDF as a foreign policy instrument resulted in cracks in South Africa’s international reputation. In brief, Hamill challenged the conventional wisdom that South Africa was the undisputed leading power in Africa and would determine the continent’s future direction.

Seven years after the publication of Africa’s Lost Leader, it is now crystal clear that South Africa’s global standing has taken several steps backward. In this regard, I would like to briefly highlight six aspects that have contributed to South Africa’s decline in international stature and profile.

Weak Economic Growth

South Africa remains Africa’s largest and most sophisticated economy, thanks to a strong business sector. However, economic growth has been exceptionally slow. While BRICS members like Brazil grew by 3.4% in 2024 and India by more than 6%, South Africa has been unable to grow by more than 1%for some time. The country’s fiscal position is dire, and its debt burden is sky-high.

Declining Military Capability

The consequences of poor economic growth have led to the financial neglect of the SANDF, with severe negative effects on its role as a foreign policy instrument. The SANDF was already in a humiliating position in 2013 during the so-called Battle of Bangui in the Central African Republic, where South African troops suffered losses in battles against an overwhelming force of Séléka rebels. More recently, the M23 rebels inflicted another humiliation on the SANDF in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with 14 South African peacekeeping soldiers losing their lives and many others seriously wounded. Additionally, SANDF members in Goma in the eastern DRC were, for all practical purposes, held as prisoners of war for some time by the rebels.

G20 Summit Setbacks

The recent G20 foreign ministers’ summit in Johannesburg highlighted South Africa’s diplomatic struggles, further damaging its international image. The U.S. decision not to participate in the summit was a significant blow to South Africa’s reputation. President Cyril Ramaphosa is reportedly already concerned about the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg in November, particularly regarding the infrastructural decay in South Africa’s largest city and the millions of people living in poverty, unemployment, and expanding informal settlements. These are all signs of an economy that is not growing and of poor governance.

Weak Diplomatic Relations

South Africa’s diplomatic relations are not at the professional level they should be. In response to a media query, my colleague from the University of South Africa, Professor Jo-Ansie van Wyk, correctly noted that the South African government—and DIRCO (Department of International Relations and Cooperation)—had seriously miscalculated the return of President Donald Trump to the White House. She rightly pointed out that South Africa’s diplomatic corps demonstrated a clear inability to stay in touch with developments in the U.S. and to advise the government accordingly. Additionally, President Ramaphosa himself made a major mistake in appointing Ebrahim Rasool as ambassador. These diplomatic shortcomings are not limited to relations with the U.S. Reliable sources indicate that South African diplomats abroad are often unhappy with the conditions under which they are expected to work, including their housing situations. Meanwhile, European diplomats in South Africa are sometimes frustrated by a lack of access to DIRCO officials, with scheduled meetings occasionally being cancelled altogether.

Corruption and Poor Governance

Corruption and weak governance, particularly since the Jacob Zuma era in 2009, have severely damaged South Africa’s international image. The Zondo Commission report, the report from the commission that was mandated to investigate the nature and extent of corruption in the awards of contracts by state entities and government, exposed the deep rot within the ANC government, stripping the party of its post-1994 moral high ground. This, in turn, helped to drain the political momentum the ANC had built up under Nelson Mandela.

ANC’s Control Over Foreign Policy

The ANC still maintains strict control over foreign policy, excluding its Government of National Unity (GNU) partners from decision-making regarding South Africa’s international affairs. As a result, South Africa’s foreign relations, particularly with the U.S. (its second-largest trading partner), have suffered significant damage. It has long been known that South Africa’s ties with China, Russia, and especially Iran—along with its proxy forces, Hamas and Hezbollah—have been a source of frustration for the U.S. The Biden administration’s former ambassador to South Africa, Reuben E. Brigety, was treated poorly by some political actors in South Africa after he accused South Africa of providing weapons and ammunition to Russia. This has led to vacuums in South Africa’s foreign relations, opening the door for the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Solidarity Movement to engage directly with American stakeholders.

Conclusion

It is now clear that, under the ANC’s political leadership—particularly since the Zuma administration—South Africa’s international standing has suffered significant damage. Likewise, it is evident that South Africa no longer holds the stature it did two to three decades ago when Mandela and then Mbeki were welcomed without reservation in the highest diplomatic circles worldwide. The expulsion of Ebrahim Rasool from the U.S. further underscores the ANC’s deep anti-Americanism and that South Africa has reached a turning point in its foreign relations.

Theo Neethling, Department of Political Studies and Governance University of the Free State

Source: https://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/rasool-debacle-confirming-sas-declining-internatio?utm_source=Politicsweb+Daily+Headlines&utm_campaign=c91c058764-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_04_03_06_42&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-c91c058764-140246843

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