Rasool returns 'with no regrets'

'I stand by what I said... the diplomacy of ubuntu is not about flattery'

- THEOLIN TEMBO

"IT WAS not our choice to come home, but we come home with no regrets."

This was how former ambassador to US, Ebrahim Rasool, started his address to the media after he was welcomed with song and dance at Cape Town International Airport yesterday.

Many Capetonians came out to show support for Rasool and his wife, Rosieda, as they returned to the country.

Rasool made headlines after he was expelled from the US after being declared persona non grata for remarks made during a webinar held by the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (Mistra). The theme was “Implications of changes in US administrations for SA and Africa”.

During the webinar, Rasool said people should get hold of the framework document of South Africa's national interests - because this is going to be a guide for SA in navigating between our values and our interests.

Rasool previously served as South Africa's ambassador to the US from 2010 to 2015 during the Barack Obama administration. He was re-appointed in January 2025, as ambassador during the Joe Biden and then Donald Trump administration.