Ramaphosa ‘satisfied' with Mcebisi Jonas's work despite being snubbed by Trump
Mcebisi Jonas speaks at Semafor's The Next 3 Billion Summit at The Pierre Hotel on 24 September 2024 in New York. Picture:Despite reports that Mcebisi Jonas has received the cold shoulder from US President Donald Trump's administration, President Cyril Ramaphosa is 'satisfied' with the work of his special envoy.
In April, Ramaphosa appointed Jonas to improve South Africa's relations with the US.
Some questioned this appointment when comments made by Jonas during an Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Annual Lecture in 2020 resurfaced. The former deputy finance minister said Trump was a racist and narcissistic.
Jonas gets cold shoulder from Trump
City Press reports there are growing concerns that Jonas is struggling to gain access to Trump's administration.
'Government has been without authoritative representation in the US since March, even though America is SA's second-largest trading partner,' a source told the publication.
Jonas's lack of progress in the US has led to calls for Ramaphosa to quickly find a new ambassador to the US.
The previous South African ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled for criticising Trump's administration. This came after he said the US president was leading a white supremacist movement.
Absent from Ramaphosa's delegation
Claims that Jonas was being snubbed by Trump grew after he was not included in Ramaphosa's delegation that visited the Oval Office in May. Some also said Jonas was not given a US visa.
At the time, the Presidency dismissed those allegations.
'Initial interpretations of procedural matters, communicated in good faith, have been amended following confirmation that Mr Jonas holds a valid visa for travel to the United States of America,' it said.
ALSO READ: Presidency clarifies Mcebisi Jonas' absence from Ramaphosa's meeting with Trump
It said Jonas helped Ramaphosa prepare for the meeting with Trump.
'Mr. Jonas contributed to preparatory engagements ahead of the meeting between President Ramaphosa and President Donald Trump, including consultations abroad. His absence from Washington, at his own request, has no bearing on the President's official programme.'
US tariffs
The struggles of Jonas to make inroads in the US have come into sharper focus since Trump announced he would impose 30% import tariffs on South Africa from 1 August.
Ramaphosa has since accused the US government of reaching the 30% figure through a flawed interpretation of trade data.
ALSO READ: Ramaphosa disputes Trump's 30% tariff claim as 'not accurate'
Jonas's achievements?
When asked by City Press what Jonas has achieved since he took on the role of US envoy, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya refused to divulge any details.
'The work of envoys is not a public affair, they are not ministers or publicly elected officers. His work and how he carries it out is not a matter of collective responsibility with anyone. It's solely to support the president,' said Magwenya.
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Daily Maverick
3 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Ramaphosa's cop ‘corruption' response — Mchunu on leave and judicial inquiry into spies and law enforcers
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that a judicial commission of inquiry will probe the allegations that KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. Spies, prosecutors, magistrates and police officers. These are among the figures a judicial commission of inquiry will focus on following an unprecedented policing scandal that has exposed rival factions in South Africa's law enforcement arena. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the creation of the commission of inquiry during an address to the nation on Sunday. His speech came a week after KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made a series of astounding accusations about fellow police officers and other state officials. Mkhwanazi's allegations included that: A high-level criminal syndicate is operating in South Africa, and it extends into the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Police Ministry, Parliament, official prison structures, the judiciary and other law-enforcing authorities. A drug cartel headquartered in Gauteng controls that syndicate. At the end of last year, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu issued a directive to disband the Political Killings Task Team to shield politically connected members of a criminal syndicate from prosecution. Mchunu was in cahoots with individuals including organised crime accused Vusi 'Cat' Matlala. Mchunu denied the accusations. Ramaphosa had not been able to deal with the matter sooner because he was in Brazil attending a BRICS summit. In his address on Sunday, Ramaphosa said: 'The allegations made … raise serious concerns around the Constitution, the rule of law and national security.' 'Infiltration of law enforcement' He announced the creation of a judicial commission of inquiry into Mkhwanazi's allegations. 'The commission will investigate allegations relating to the infiltration of law enforcement, intelligence and associated institutions within the criminal justice system by criminal syndicates,' said Ramaphosa. 'Among the allegations that the commission may investigate are the facilitation of organised crime; suppression or manipulation of investigations; inducement into criminal actions by law enforcement leadership; commission of any other criminal offences and intimidation, victimisation or targeted removal of whistleblowers or officials resisting criminal influence.' It would look into whether any members of the national executive overseeing the criminal justice system were complicit in criminal activity, as alleged by Mkhwanazi. 'The commission will be asked to report on the effectiveness or failure of oversight mechanisms, and the adequacy of current legislation, policies and institutional arrangements in preventing such infiltration,' said Ramaphosa. 'It will make findings and recommendations for criminal prosecutions, disciplinary actions and institutional reform.' Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga will chair the commission, assisted by advocates Sesi Baloyi SC and Sandile Khumalo SC. An interim report is expected in three months, and another in six months. Cachalia 'replaces' Mchunu Ramaphosa also announced on Sunday that Mchunu, appointed as police minister a year ago, had been placed on leave with immediate effect. Mchunu issued a statement late on Sunday, saying: 'I welcome and respect the President's decision and pledge my commitment to the process. 'Honour and integrity are the virtues I personally subscribe to and which we all need to make efforts to uphold. I stand ready to respond to the accusations against me and account to the citizens of the Republic, fully and honestly so.' MEDIA STATEMENT⁰ Date: 13 July 2025 MINISTER OF POLICE, MR SENZO MCHUNU, ACCEPTS AND SUPPORTS THE DECISION OF THE PRESIDENT The Minister of Police, Mr Senzo Mchunu, will be taking a leave of absence from his official duties following serious allegations levelled against him… — Senzo Mchunu (@Senzo_Mchunu_) July 13, 2025 A Cabinet minister will fill Mchunu's position until August, when Firoz Cachalia, the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council's chairperson and a former Gauteng community safety MEC, will take over. Cachalia will become acting police minister only in August because he is a professor of law at the University of the Witwatersrand, a position from which he is retiring at the end of this month. Spies, prosecutors, magistrates, cops Mkhwanazi's accusations, meanwhile, painted South Africa's criminal justice system as infested with corrupt officials. And Ramaphosa on Sunday, when outlining what exactly the judicial commission of inquiry would look into, referenced past and present state officials, ranging from spooks to prosecutors. 'The commission will investigate the role of current or former senior officials in certain institutions who may have aided or abetted the alleged criminal activity; failed to act on credible intelligence or internal warnings; or benefited financially or politically from a syndicate's operations,' he said. 'These institutions are the South African Police Service, National Prosecuting Authority, State Security Agency, the judiciary and magistracy, and the metropolitan police departments of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.' This suggests that even state agents who operate mostly in secret could be investigated. As for members of metro police departments being focused on, this may directly link to what Mkhwanazi has alleged about a drug cartel headquartered in Gauteng. 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ActionSA's Dereleen James said the party saw 'no logic in yet another commission of inquiry carrying out work that law enforcement and agencies like [the Independent Police Investigative Directorate] should be doing.' DM
Daily Maverick
3 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Ramaphosa's new police inquiry — while sitting on two previous reports
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The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Pretoria Sangoma predicts Cabinet reshuffle for Mchunu, not suspension
A Pretoria-based sangoma claims President Cyril Ramaphosa will not suspend embattled Police Minister Senzo Mchunu but will instead implement a broader Cabinet reshuffle, which may include two other under-fire ministers. Solly Mathebula, known as 'Mkhulu Mahlasela' from Mamelodi, said his bone-throwing reading shows that Ramaphosa will opt to reassign Mchunu to a different portfolio rather than suspending him following allegations of interference in police operations. 'The bones are saying that Ramaphosa will not suspend Mchunu,' he said. Political parties have been calling on Ramaphosa to show Mchunu the door after the allegations. 'He will move him to another department to avoid interference with the investigations. This way, he keeps him active while ensuring the investigations continue.' Ramaphosa is expected to address the nation at 7pm on Sunday. Mkhulu Mahlasela's predictions come after Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi last week accused Mchunu of protecting criminal networks and interfering in police investigations. He alleged that Mchunu disbanded the Political Killings Task Team in March, withdrawing 121 active dockets, many linked to political killings. Mkhwanazi presented WhatsApp messages, SA Police Service (SAPS) documents, and cellphone records as evidence of a coordinated effort to dismantle the task team. He also implicated Brown Mogotsi, a 'comrade' of Mchunu, in communicating with suspects, including business tycoon Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala, who secured a R360 million police contract in 2024. However, the controversial contract was later scrapped. According to Mkhwanazi, Mogotsi informed Matlala that the unit was disbanded and that SAPS crime detection head Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya had assumed control of the dockets. Financial links allegedly connect Mchunu, Mogotsi, and Matlala to political events and fundraisers. 'This was no accident,' Mkhwanazi said. 'It was a calculated move to shield a criminal syndicate embedded in law enforcement and politics.' Since its formation in 2018, the task team handled 612 cases and secured more than 100 convictions. Mkhwanazi said efforts to disband it escalated after experts linked weapons to high-profile assassinations. In a December 2024 letter to Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Fannie Masemola, Mchunu claimed the unit had 'outlived its usefulness.' However, Masemola later denied authorising its closure. Mkhulu Mahlasela, who has been reading the bones for more than 15 years, said Mchunu is not the only Cabinet minister likely to be moved. He predicted that Higher Education Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane will also be reassigned following backlash over the controversial appointments to SETA boards. This comes after the appointment of politically connected individuals to SETA boards, including the son of Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, Buyambo and former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dr Dube-Ncube, were appointed during the now-reversed process. 'Nkabane will be reshuffled,' said Mkhulu Mahlasela. 'Ramaphosa won't fire her either, but will just assign someone else temporarily while investigations continue.' Social Development Minister Sisi Tolashe, responsible for the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), may also face consequences due to issues related to delayed social grant payments. 'The bones say Ramaphosa will act on SASSA issues. There's fraud happening inside the department involving tenders and constant social grants payments delays," said Mkhulu Mahlasela. SASSA, however, previously denied claims that grants have been suspended. In a July 7 statement, the agency said the delays were due to a mandatory national review process targeting beneficiaries with potential undeclared income. 'There has been no suspension of social grants,' SASSA said. 'Grants are delayed only until recipients complete the required reviews.' SASSA CEO Themba Matlou added that the process ensures grants are not issued to the deceased or those no longer eligible. Mkhulu Mahlasela further warned that Mkhwanazi 'needs to be protected' following his explosive allegations. He says the bones say that Ramaphosa may elevate Mkhwanazi to a higher position within SAPS to silence him. 'Ramaphosa is very intelligent… If he does not renew Mkhwanazi's contract, it will raise red flags,' he said. 'He will promote him to a much higher position, not to reward him, but to silence him.' Mkhulu Mahlasela also accused Sibiya of interfering with police investigations and withholding crucial information. 'Sibiya is hiding a lot… His name appears in many of these allegations,' he said. Meanwhile, the nation awaits Ramaphosa's response following mounting calls for accountability. [email protected] IOL
