Navigating US-South Africa relations: Mcebisi Jonas' new diplomatic role amid rising tensions between the two nations.
Image: IOL/Independent Newspapers
The US government's position on Mcebisi Jonas's appointment as South Africa's Special Envoy will likely be known in the coming days, while some US groups and officials object to previous remarks he made about President Donald Trump.
President Cyril Ramaphosa this week appointed Jonas as the Special Envoy to the US following the expulsion of former Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool.
The appointment also comes amid tensions between SA and the US, particularly in light of a recent US funding freeze due to false accusations that the SA government is readying itself to illegally grab land.
The usually outspoken Trump and the US government has not yet officially indicated its position on Jonas's appointment.
Following his appointment, old videos surfaced on social media of Jonas in 2020 referring to Trump as "a racist, homophobic, and narcissistic right-winger" in a speech to the Ahmad Kathrada Foundation.
A US embassy official who did not want to be named because they are not allowed to speak to the media said: “The US government's position on Jonas's appointment will likely be known in the coming days, and could have implications for future diplomatic relations between SA and the US, but there is no real issue with the Special Envoy appointed so far."
Presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, downplayed Jonas's utterances saying he was speaking in his private capacity.
"There is a distinct difference between Rasool and Jonas. Rasool made assertions when he was on SA official business while Jonas was not," Magwenya said.
Jonas has recently explained that his previous remarks were made in the context of his role as an activist in 2020, rather than as a government official.
"I guess I must put that in context. At the time, I was outside of government, at the time I was speaking as an activist," Jonas said in an interview with a radio station.
He emphasised his commitment to improving relations between the two countries and noted that he has the backing of the SA government and its people.
International Relations expert Dr Rich Mashimbye, said Jonas's views might not sit well with the White House, given the Trump administration's hostility towards South Africa.
"The Trump administration has been hostile towards SA, as seen with its false allegations that the SA government was 'seizing land' from its white citizens and (through) the expulsion of Ebrahim Rasool," Mashimbye said.
He suggested that Jonas's reputation for integrity, due to his role in exposing state capture, might work in his favor with the US government.
"Generally, Jonas is someone who is viewed as an upright person by both major parties in the GNU, owing to his part in exposing the so-called state capture," Mashimbye said.
Political analyst Sandile Swana questioned the objection to Jonas's appointment, citing his solid business profile and ability to understand numbers.
"Jonas is chairman of one of the largest telecommunications giants in Africa, so he has a solid business profile like Elon Musk and others, including Trump himself," Swana said.
"This is someone who will understand the numbers. The entire trade war is about optimising US wealth. At the end of all this chaos is the need for the US to be financially better off,” Swana said.
Cape Argus