Jonas' past utterances about Trump could come back to bite him as he bids to repair SA-US relations
Jonas has previously referred to Trump as a racist and homophobe in an Ahmed Kathrada Annual Lecture in 2020.
FILE: A screengrab of Mcebisi Jonas during an interview on 6 March 2018. Picture: EWN
CAPE TOWN - Mcebisi Jonas' past utterances about United States President Donald Trump could catch up with him even before he assumes his new role as a special envoy.
Jonas has previously referred to Trump as a racist and homophobe in an Ahmed Kathrada Annual Lecture in 2020.
The former finance deputy minister was named by the Presidency on Monday as the first of the envoys President Cyril Ramaphosa plans to appoint to repair fraught relations with the United States since the start of Trump's presidency.
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In an ongoing onslaught against South Africa, Trump posted on his social media over the weekend that he planned to boycott the G20 leaders summit in Johannesburg later this year, once again citing the country’s land policies as his reason.
While MTN chairperson and former MP, Jonas, won’t be assuming an ambassadorial role and would therefore not be required to present credentials to the US president, his past statements about Trump could come back to bite him as he sets off on fixing strained relations between the two countries.
In November 2020, while delivering the 11th Ahmed Kathrada lecture, Jonas reflected on US politics at the time in his opening remarks to a virtual audience.
"Right now, the US is undergoing a watershed moment, with Biden the certain winner in the presidential race against the racist, homophobe Donald Trump. How we got to a situation where a narcissistic right-winger took charge of the world’s greatest economic and military powerhouse, is something that we need to ponder over."
Jonas went on to say that he hoped the defeat of Trump would deal a blow to the de-globalisation lobby.
Former Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was expelled from the US in March for remarks he made about the transactional nature of Trump's dealings with international partners.
Although the president is yet to announce Rasool's successor, the Department of International Relations has noted in response to a parliamentary question that it plans to send a charges d'affaires to the US soon to fill the void in the meantime.