A year after its ambassador was expelled from Washington, South Africa has appointed Thabo Thage as deputy ambassador to the US, effectively acting as chargé d’affaires. President Cyril Ramaphosa is using an unorthodox approach with special envoy Alistair Ruiters handling negotiations. This avoids risks of rejection by the Trump administration.
It has been just over a year since President Cyril Ramaphosa’s first ambassador to the second Trump administration, Ebrahim Rasool, was declared persona non grata by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and expelled. This followed Rasool insinuating in a webinar that Donald Trump was a white supremacist. Later, Ramaphosa appointed Mcebisi Jonas as special envoy, but the US denied him a diplomatic visa, likely due to Jonas calling Trump a “racist, homophobe and a narcissistic right-winger” in 2020. Ramaphosa’s international investment adviser, Alistair Ruiters, has been acting as South Africa’s chief negotiator with the US, based in Pretoria. US officials appreciate his objective approach. Top Democratic Alliance officials, including John Steenhuisen and Alan Winde, praised Ruiters as a potential ambassador candidate. The government appointed Thabo Thage, acting chief director for North America in the Department of International Relations, as deputy ambassador or chargé d’affaires. This role does not require US agrément, unlike a full ambassador. Thage is described as a seasoned diplomat who helped resolve a spat over US refugee status for white Afrikaners. Recently, Trump’s ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, arrived and was démarched by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation for undiplomatic language. Bozell said “I don’t care what your courts say” about rulings on the song “Kill the Boer” not being hate speech, claimed over 150 laws aimed against whites, and stated the Trump administration was “running out of patience”. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said there is “no pressing reason to rush an ambassadorial appointment”, noting Thage’s routine appointment ensures coordination. Analyst Bob Wekesa sees it as a lack of confidence in ambassadorial diplomacy given past ejections. Officials indicate this unorthodox method suits the Trump administration’s style and maintains relations.
