US waiting for pragmatic Cyril

The president's choice in selecting a new ambassador amid a historic downturn in diplomatic relations also speaks to an existential dilemma for his party, the ANC

- Emsie Ferreira

Aston about finding the right diplomat to reset a relationship in deep crisis will take time despite the nomination of a new US ambassador to South Africa, sources close to the process said.

The initial instinct in diplomatic circles was to move at speed to name a successor for Ebrahim Rasool, who was expelled three months into his posting, before relations could take any further downturn.

President Donald Trump’s nomination this week of Brent Bozell III, a crusader against alleged liberal media bias and the father of a parodied January 6 rioter — the mob that protested against Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 US elections — has further added to that sense of urgency.

The thinking is that if the two governments were to consider the credentials of their nominees at the same time, it would give South Africa some diplomatic leverage to get its new ambassador accepted by a hostile administration.

It is reliably understood that this will not move Ramaphosa, whose choice of Rasool was criticised as reckless by more than one commentator.

In hindsight, there is an element of regret that the decision to redeploy the former leader of the ANC in the Western Cape in December was taken too swiftly after last year’s US elections and without regard for the risks of sending a politician with his profile to face tensions foretold.

For Ramaphosa the declining factor was Rasool’s prior experience of Washington and the contacts he made on Capitol Hill while serving as ambassador from 2010 to 2015, during Barack Obama’s two-term presidency.

Rasool’s letters of credence were accepted by outgoing president Biden and this was an early source of irritation for the incoming administration.