Search for South Africa's ambassador to US shrouded by uncertainty

THE appointment of South Africa’s ambassador to the US is still marred by uncertainty 10 months after the Trump-led administration dismissed Ebrahim Rasool.

- MANYANE MANYANE

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s special advisor for investment promotion, Alistair Ruiters, still appears to be the preferred candidate to replace Rasool as Ambassador to the US.

Ruiters reportedly has a strong backing from the business community and the DA, who view him as a pragmatic, professional choice capable of navigating US markets and politics.

Other candidates are ANC veteran and former Minister of Defence and Constitutional Development Roelf Meyer, Marthinus van Schalkwyk (former leader of the National Party who later joined the ANC and served as Minister of Tourism), Andries Nel (the current Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development), Gerhardus Koornhof (President’s parliamentary counsellor), Trevor Manuel (former Finance Minister) and Tony Leon, who is a former DA leader and former Ambassador to Argentina.

Rasool was expelled by the US government after he was declared “persona non grata’. This was a result of his criticism of Donald Trump’s administration during an online webinar, accusing it of “mobilising supremacism".