Mcebisi Jonas's absence from Ramaphosa-Trump meeting sparks controversy
Special envoy Mcebisi Jonas was not be part of the South African delegation that met US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
Image: FILE
The Presidency has a statement on the absence of the Special Envoy to the United States Mcebisi Jonas from the meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump, saying that Jonas had volunteered not to attend.
This despite reports indicating that Jonas had not been granted a visa by the US and was in London when the crucial meeting took place.
Magwenya confirmed that Jonas holds a valid visa for travel to the United States but had decided not to attend after being part of the preparatory process prior to the meeting.
"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,' Magwenya said.
He said Jonas contributed to preparatory engagements before the meeting, including consultations abroad, but his absence from Washington was at his own request.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
However, it emerged that the Trump administration had raised concerns about Jonas's inclusion in the delegation, due to his previous comments about Trump.
In 2020, Jonas referred to Trump as "a racist, homophobic and a narcissistic right-winger," which resurfaced after his appointment as Special Envoy to the US. Magwenya indicated that the president may have to consider alternative envoys if the issues surrounding Jonas are not resolved.
Jonas' appointment came 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 and were involved in a white Afrikaner genocide.
Magwenya, said part of the reason Jonas was not in Washington was because the Trump administration raised some "displeasure" about Jonas.
Sources close to Ramaphosa and the ANC said that prior to the departure of Ramaphosa's delegation, there had been disagreements on whether to take Jonas, especially if this would displease Trump.
'The majority of the president's counsel wanted Jonas to go, but others said that he would just be an obstacle for the delegation when they arrived,' a source said.
The controversy surrounding Jonas' absence has put pressure on Ramaphosa to choose an ambassador preferable to the Trump administration.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has begun the process of finding a replacement for expelled Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, who was declared "persona non grata" by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Several names have been touted as potential candidates to replace Rasool, including former Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel.
Also considered are senior Afrikaans political figures like former defense minister Roelf Meyer, former tourism minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk, deputy justice minister Andries Nel and Ramaphosa's counsel in parliament Gerdhadus Koornhof.
Political analyst Sandile Swana said Ramaphosa was not under pressure to choose any other envoy because he had met with Trump with ministers and created an opportunity for detailed conversations to take place at a ministerial level.
'An envoy is not an ambassador…So once the reset has been done, then an ambassador can kick in and run the operation in accordance with what would have been agreed on in these discussions,' Swana said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
27 minutes ago
- The South African
Gareth Cliff mocks Fikile's intelligence in shady post
Gareth Cliff has continued his longstanding social media feud with Fikile Mbalula with another shady post. The former shock jock and the politician have often butt heads over their views on trending South African topics. On his X account, Gareth Cliff joined many South Africans who reacted to Floyd Shivambu's resignation from the MK Party. The Secretary-General was forced to leave his post after he bragged about visiting fugitive Shepherd Bushiri at his home in Malawi. Fikile Mbalula – who also has a much-publicised feud with Floyd – threw shade at his political nemesis. Fikile tweeted: 'Zuma uSleg, they made Floyd draft the constitution to only use the same constitution to remove him'. Floyd clapped back: 'Like he decisively used the Constitution to take the 'mighty' ANC to 40% and left you begging for cooperation with the white minority.' He added: 'I respect and will forever respect President Zuma'. Weighing into the fiery face-off, Gareth Cliff responded: 'Floyd is smarter than Fikile.' He cheekily posted a proverb referring to Fikile: 'In the land of the blind, the one-eyed is king.' Over the years, Fikile Mbalula and Gareth Cliff have often taken shots at each other on the X platform [formerly Twitter]. In 2014, Fikile gave the Cliff Central founder a tongue-lashing after he questioned why the late Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa was given a state funeral. Fikile clapped back: 'Who paid for Verwoerd's funeral? And who paid for PW Botha's funeral? It is the state, did they deserve it?… We never asked because we respect the dead. In 2016, the then Minister of Sport threw shade at Gareth Cliff's axing from talent show, Idols South Africa , after the latter seemingly defended convicted racist Penny Sparrow. 'M-Net should tell him to jump over his surname', he posted and deleted. Last year, Gareth Cliff shamed Fikile for driving a multi-million rand G-Wagon during the ANC's election drive in underprivileged areas. Reposting a clip of the ANC Secretary-General, the Gareth tweeted: 'This is like when John Kerry flies in a private jet and criticizes rich people for their carbon footprint; or when every other hypocrite tells you to do as they say, not as they do. 'Fikile loves a G-Wagon and couldn't say no, even though this one was lent to him by a crook. He added: 'These venal, grasping parvenus are always caught trying to become the crass rich people they hate, but we're expected to pretend it's not obvious. 'Tsek'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
an hour ago
- The South African
Newspaper headlines from around the world - Thursday, 5 June 2025
Here are the stories that made headlines on the front pages of newspapers worldwide on Thursday, 5 June 2025. The New York Times front page reported that the G.O.P's bill would swell the U.S. debt by $2.4 trillion. The Wall Street Journal front page reported that spycraft and homegrown weapons powered Kyiv's surprise attack. The Hindustan Times' front page reported that the government has finally announced the long-postponed census. Daily Mail's front page reported that battle lines have been drawn over immigration. The Guardian front page reported that chaos fears arise over the return of winter fuel payments. 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 …?
The South African
an hour ago
- The South African
DSD briefs parliament on basic income support policy
The Department of Social Development aims to provide basic income support for citizens between the ages of 18-59. During a briefing with the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, DSD updated parliament on the progress of the development of the Basic Income Support Policy. 'Work on the policy has been ongoing, with the first draft of the policy having been presented to the Social Protection, Community and Human Development Cluster Cabinet Committee on 26 November 2024', said DSD spokesperson, Bathembu Futshane. The committee raised that more consultations were needed in order to discus the policy. It was further suggested that meetings should be held with internal stakeholders. The meeting would focus on the affordability of the policy and linkages of its proposed beneficiaries with economic opportunities. An interdepartmental workshop was held in order to communicate the directive of collaboration. According to Futshane, the workshop affirmed the need to link the policy's beneficiaries to other employment and sustainable livelihood opportunities. 'A follow up workshop will be held in June 2025. Followed by bilateral engagements with the Presidency, the Department of Labour and National Treasury', said Futshane. He said once the consultations are concluded, DSD will approach the SPCHD Cabinet Committee in the second Quarter of the 2025/26 financial year. They will request cabinet to consider the revised policy. Once the policy is approved, it will be published for public comments. Futshane said that in order to ensure stability during the consultation period, the department will consult National Treasury for the R370 Social Relief of Distress grant be extended. The grant will remain in place until the legislative process is complete. Beneficiaries will be protected from extreme poverty and vulnerability while they wait for the policy to come into effect. 'The Department, has for the interim, been granted an extension by the National Treasury to continue with this provision for the 2025/26 financial year', concluded Futshane. DO YOU THINK SOCIAL GRANTS ARE HELPING SOUTH AFRICANS OR ENCOURAGING A CULTURE OF LAZINESS? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
