Who is Ebrahim Rasool? South African ambassador to the U.S who has been declared persona non grata and asked to leave the country by Donald Trump; here's the reason why

Trump administration escalated its rift with South Africa by declaring the country’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, persona non grata—a rare diplomatic rebuke typically reserved for lower-ranking officials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Rasool of harboring anti-Trump sentiments, citing a webinar where the ambassador criticized Elon Musk’s ties to far-right European figures. Rubio’s announcement, made via social media during a flight from G7 meetings, left the State Department scrambling to clarify details, including whether Rasool was even in the U.S. at the time.
Rasool, a veteran anti-apartheid activist and ally of Nelson Mandela, previously served as ambassador from 2010–2015 before returning in January. His expulsion follows Trump’s executive order slashing aid to South Africa, citing contested claims about land reforms targeting white Afrikaners. The move marks a dramatic downturn in relations, echoing Cold War-era diplomatic standoffs but breaking precedent by targeting an ambassador.

Land Reform Law Ignites US-South Africa Clash

Central to the friction is South Africa’s Expropriation Act, signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to address apartheid-era injustices by redistributing underused land. Trump falsely claimed the law seizes property from Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch settlers, and proposed offering them US refugee status. South Africa denies racial targeting, asserting the law focuses on public interest and correcting historical dispossession of Black communities.
Elon Musk, who leads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency and grew up in South Africa, amplified the controversy on social media, framing the law as a threat to the white minority. Critics argue Trump’s stance misrepresents the