ANC Won’t Interfere with Ramaphosa Appointing New US Ambassador: Mbalula

This follows the Trump administration’s decision to expel South Africa’s former ambassador in the US, Ebrahim Rasool, earlier in March.

ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula during a media briefing at Luthuli House in Johannesburg on 13 March 2025. Picture: Spamandla Dlamini/EWN

JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) said it will not interfere with the president’s responsibility of appointing a candidate to fill the vacant ambassadorial position in the United States (US).  

This follows the Trump administration’s decision to expel South Africa’s former ambassador in the US, Ebrahim Rasool, earlier in March.  

Rasool was expelled after criticising the US government, saying President Donald Trump is running a white supremacist movement.  

The ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) will continue its meeting at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, with South Africa’s diplomatic fallout with the US expected to be a major topic.  

Saturday is day two of the ANC’s NEC meeting, and top of the agenda is Pretoria’s fallout with Washington.  

The party will discuss how to navigate Trump’s aggression towards South Africa and how to be more self-reliant.  

ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said the party will, however, not discuss the replacement of Rasool, as this is the sole responsibility of the president.  

“The president will deal with that in government, it’s not an ANC call. As much as you believe that the ANC deploys ambassadors, we too, like all others, can make our own submissions to the president. We have given the president the exclusive right to deal with the matters of deployment of diplomats.”  

The ANC’s four-day NEC meeting will continue until Monday.