logo
Mcebisi Jonas blocked from US meeting due to past comments on Trump

Mcebisi Jonas blocked from US meeting due to past comments on Trump

IOL News22-05-2025

Reports states that Special envoy Mcebisi Jonas will not be part of the South African delegation meeting US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
MVEBISI Jonas's previous comments that US president Donald Trump was "a racist, homophobic and a narcissistic right-winger" blocked his inclusion from the South African delegation that visited the White House's Oval Office on Wednesday.
Jonas became South Africa's presidential envoy to US but he had to catch the action from the sidelines on the say so of US government officials.
THE South African Presidency has reportedly confirmed that Mcebisi Jonas, who was appointed as Special Envoy to the United States, was not part of the meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and former US President Donald Trump due to concerns raised by Trump's administration.
'Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed to me while I was speaking to @JohnPerlman on @Radio702 that part of the reason Mcebisi Jonas (presidential envoy to US) is not here because the Trump administration raised some 'displeasure' about him,' EWN journalist Clement Manyathela wrote on his X platform.
According to Manyathela, Mangwenya said the president may had to consider other options should the issues not be resolved around Jonas.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

We must all reclaim our information space
We must all reclaim our information space

Mail & Guardian

timean hour ago

  • Mail & Guardian

We must all reclaim our information space

Elon Musk. (File photo) More South Africans arrived in the United States this week. But it is an old resident who made the most headlines. Elon has left the Doge office. He did so in bizarre pomp and ceremony, with Donald Trump looking to save both their faces with a predictably awkward golden key award ceremony. Musk and his Javier Milei-inspired chainsaw are no longer a factor in Washington. The same cannot be said for public life. Musk owns X/Twitter, one of the biggest social media platforms on the planet. He's had a huge following on it long before he took control in 2022. He relishes using that influence to peddle all manner of absurdity and falsity. Musk has been the figurehead of the open conspiracy of tech oligarchs that reign in the White House. They have made no secret of their willingness to do whatever is asked of them, knowing that the reciprocation will be ample (or indeed, the punitive repercussions for a failure to toe the line would be grave.) Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg's sycophantic about-turn on moderation was a perfect example of that reality playing out in real time. In that now infamous announcement video, he waxed lyrical about how he created Facebook to be a democratic marketplace of free ideas. That is a lie, of course. He created Facebook so college boys could rate women on the internet. Regardless, with other media and search engine owners included in the cohort, the fact remains that a few powerful men control the dominant means of creating and sharing information in 2025. Those white South Africans arriving as refugees in the US should be all the reminder we need of how pernicious a narrative can be; and that real-world consequences need not be grounded in truth or rational reasoning. It bears repeating: there is no white genocide in South Africa. It is imperative that we, as individual news consumers and practitioners, reclaim our information space. For as much as the oligarchs strut with the swagger of impunity, that is far from the case. While this would be an obvious segue into launching into a pitch to get you to subscribe, the struggle we face goes beyond promoting ideas of established media. There's a war going on for our attention. The mistake would be in thinking we have to take sides. We have to respect each other and the process of sharing ideas civilly, with a respect for the truth. If our engagement begins and ends with a retweet, our society will begin to look even bleaker. The algorithm only wins if you surrender to it.

EXPLAINER-What is the International Criminal Court?
EXPLAINER-What is the International Criminal Court?

Daily Maverick

timean hour ago

  • Daily Maverick

EXPLAINER-What is the International Criminal Court?

THE HAGUE, June 5 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court, an unprecedented retaliation over the tribunal's work on issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Here are some facts about the court: WHEN WAS THE ICC SET UP AND WHY? The court was established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression when member states are unwilling or unable to do so themselves. It can prosecute crimes committed by nationals of member states or on the territory of member states by other actors. It has 125 member states. The court's budget for 2025 is about 195 million euros ($202 million). WHAT IS THE ICC INVESTIGATING? The ICC is conducting investigations from the Palestinian territories to Ukraine and African states such as Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya, to Venezuela in Latin America and Myanmar and the Philippines in Asia. It says there have been 32 cases before the court, with some having more than one suspect. ICC judges have issued at least 60 arrest warrants. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAS THE COURT CONVICTED? ICC judges have issued 11 convictions and four acquittals. Twenty-one people have been held in the ICC detention centre in The Hague and have appeared before the court, and 31 people remain at large. Charges have been dropped against seven people due to their deaths. Of the 11 convictions, only six have been for the court's core crimes of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The others were for crimes such as witness tampering. The six convicted men were all African militia leaders from Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Uganda. Terms ranged from nine to 30 years in prison. The maximum possible term is life imprisonment. WHO IS ON THE COURT'S ARREST WARRANT LIST? Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on March 11 on a warrant from the ICC. Prosecutors accuse him of forming and arming death squads held responsible for the killing of thousands of perceived drug users and dealers during his rule. Duterte has said he takes full responsibility for the 'war on drugs' as he braces for the legal battle. Other notable ICC suspects are Netanyahu, who is accused of being criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and using starvation as a weapon of war in the Gaza conflict, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, accused of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Both Israel and Russia have repeatedly denied that their forces have committed atrocities in Gaza and Ukraine respectively and have argued the ICC has no jurisdiction over them. When it issued the warrant for Netanyahu, the ICC also issued a warrant for the arrest of Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, whose death was confirmed after the warrant was issued. The ICC prosecutor has also requested arrest warrants for senior Afghan and Myanmar leaders, but those have not been officially approved by judges. WHICH COUNTRIES ARE NOT MEMBERS OF THE ICC? Although the court is supported by many United Nations members and the European Union, other countries such as the United States, China and Russia are not members, arguing the ICC could be used for politically motivated prosecutions. Myanmar is not a member of the court, but in 2018 and 2019 judges ruled the court had jurisdiction over alleged cross-border crimes that partially took place in neighbouring ICC member Bangladesh, such as deportation and persecution, and said prosecutors could open a formal investigation. Israel is not a member and does not recognise its jurisdiction, but the Palestinian territories were admitted as an ICC member state in 2015. This, together with a ruling by judges, means the court can look at potential war crimes carried out by Hamas fighters in Israel and by Israelis in the Gaza Strip. The Philippines is not currently a member of the ICC but was between 2011 and 2019, when the unilateral withdrawal by Duterte became final. Under the court's founding 1998 Rome Statute, even if a state withdraws as a member it retains jurisdiction over crimes within its jurisdiction committed during the membership period. In February 2025, Trump authorised economic and travel sanctions targeting people who work on International Criminal Court investigations of U.S. citizens or U.S. allies such as Israel. Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has so far been the only ICC staff member targeted by sanctions, which are set to go into force on April 7.

Newspaper headlines from around the world - Friday, 6 June 2025
Newspaper headlines from around the world - Friday, 6 June 2025

The South African

timean hour ago

  • The South African

Newspaper headlines from around the world - Friday, 6 June 2025

Here are the stories that made headlines on the front pages of newspapers worldwide on Friday, 6 June 2025. The New York Times front page reported that Trump and Musk shattered their alliance in an angry burst of Republican insults. The Wall Street Journal front page reported that a fiery feud has broken out between Trump and Musk. The Hindustan Times' front page reported that the WTO dispute remains amid US trade talks. China Daily's front page reported that Xi urges the US to end negative measures. Daily Mail's front page reported that Russia blames the UK for a drone attack on its jets. The Guardian front page reported that Labour has banned bonuses for 10 water company bosses amid worsening pollution. If you wish to stay up-to-date – for FREE – on the latest international and South African news, then bookmark The South African website for all that plus the latest in the world of finance, sport, lifestyle – and more. Did we mention it was 100% free to read …?

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store