The wait for Rasool's successor

CAPE TOWN - Expelled former ambassador to the United States Ebrahim Rasool said that he will wear the persona non grata status, as a badge of dignity.

Arriving in Cape Town to jubilating crowds on Sunday Rasool said that President Cyril Ramaphosa should however not replace him with a white person to appease America.

The DA's Helen Zille suggested that her party’s former leader and ambassador to Argentina - Tony Leon -  could be a good choice - as the DA pushes for more say within the Government of National Unity (GNU)over the country’s foreign policy.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expelled Rasool  – calling him a race-baiting politician – after comments he made about the U.S. administration’s supremacist manner in dealing with foreign nations.

Rasool is expected to fully debrief President Cyril Ramaphosa this week on his short stay in the U.S. and the over 20 meetings he says he was able to have with senators and congress members before being unceremoniously booted out from the country without an opportunity to defend himself.

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Rasool said he started compiling his report when he was given a week to leave the country.

"A declaration of persona non grata is meant to humiliate you, but when you return to a crowd like this, with warmth, and a sense of ubuntu, then I will wear my badge of persona non grata, as a badge of dignity."

But he's cautioning Ramaphosa to think carefully about choosing the country’s next ambassador.

"We must hope that President Cyril Ramaphosa will be able to pick up where we left off, but we cannot have a simplistic idea that while we say there must be an ambassador, there must be a white ambassador for a white president."

This was Rasool’s second posting to the U.S. after serving the mission during the administration of Barack Obama.

Rasool said that ideally, his replacement should be someone who can mend the relationship with the US without sacrificing any of the country's values.