The right diplomacy is key

There is no way of knowing how or when this ugly spat between South Africa and the US is going to end.

- Sydney Majoko

With the Trump administration in office for the next four years, what appears to be the lowest moment in the relations might even get worse.

The take-home lesson for South Africa is "you are not in control of how this goes". The return of Ebrahim Rasool to SA on Sunday after being declared persona non grata by Secretary of State Marco Rubio was celebrated by those who would like to see the country and the ANC be punished for what they consider their sins.

It was also met with defiance by others as was evidenced by the huge turnout at his homecoming rally.

Rasool has been chastised by many throughout the week for his utterances in a webinar, saying the Trump administration had chosen to identify with "a fringe white community in South Africa as their constituency, surrounded by a white diaspora in the White House".