John AdoyiSouth Africa’s newly appointed Special Envoy to the United States, Mcebisi Jonas, is hoping his past sharp criticisms of President Donald Trump will not complicate his mission to repair diplomatic ties between the two nations.
Jonas, a former deputy finance minister and current chairman of telecommunications giant MTN, was named by the South African Presidency on Monday as part of a team tasked with addressing strained relations following accusations by Trump and billionaire Elon Musk that the South African government was unfairly targeting white farmers through land reform policies.
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In 2020, Jonas, then an activist, labeled Trump a “racist and homophobe.” On Tuesday, he downplayed those remarks, stating that people “move on” and that politicians often exchange harsh words.
“At the time, I was outside of government, I was speaking as an activist,” Jonas said. “If you Google any politician, they’ve said one nasty thing about one other politician or another.”
His primary focus, he emphasised, is restoring the bilateral relationship. “The reality of the matter and the task at hand is to work on the relations between the two countries,” he said, acknowledging the complexity of the challenge.
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The US-South Africa relationship has been tense since Trump and Musk accused Pretoria of land expropriation without compensation, a charge the South African government denies. The situation worsened in March when South Africa’s then-ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled after calling the Trump administration “supremacist.”
Before then, relationship between both countries have been on emergency mode due to South Africa’s quest to hold Israel accountable for genocide in Gaza at the international Criminal Court (ICC). Apart from that, The US has been on edge with South Africa due to the country’s relationship with Iran and it refusal to call Russia out for the invasion of Ukraine.
With no new ambassador yet appointed, the South African government is relying on envoys like Jonas to rebuild bridges. Jonas pointed to the strong economic ties between the two nations, including US companies operating in South Africa, as a foundation for long-term cooperation.
“The basis for a long-term relationship is there,” he said.
