Tony Leon Politely Declines Ambassadorship Nomination, Blames SA Policies for US Tensions
- The Democratic Alliance's former leader and ambassador Tony Leon shared his views after Helen Zille punted him as a possible replacement for Ebrahim Rasool
- Rasool was expelled as the country's ambassador to the United States after Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared him persona non grata
- Leon said the country's policies were to blame for the United States' attitudes towards the country and also slammed Rasool's conduct upon his return to South Africa
Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, provided local and international political analysis and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his nine years of experience.
Source: Getty Images
JOHANNESBURG — The former leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), Tony Leon, said that the country's policies are to blame for the United States' continued tension with the South African government. He also said he was not looking for a job after his name was among two names punted to replace former ambassador Ebrahim Rasool.
What did Leon say?
The DA's federal chair, Helen Zille, recently nominated Leon as a possible replacement for Ebrahim Rasool, who was expelled as the ambassador to the United States of America. Zille believed that Leon, who has extensive experience as a diplomat, is a good fit for the job.
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However, he was not happy with South Africa's policies, which he believed led to the tensions between the two countries being exacerbated. He also slammed Rasool's conduct when he returned to South Africa on 23 March and said his rally portrayed him more as an activist than an ambassador.
Source: Getty Images
What you need to know about Rasool
- Rasool returned to South Africa on 23 March after he was declared persona non grata and expelled from the United States
- This was after Rubio accused him of being a race-baiting politician and hating the US president and the country
- Rasool said he stood by the words he shared during the webinar, which got him expelled, and said he was providing commentary on the US political environment
- Rasool's expulsion was met with dismay, and International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola said he was supposed to open the door for an envoy from the SA government
- Ramaphosa said the government was working on mending relations with the United States after Rasool's expulsion
South Africans weigh in
Netizens discussed Leon's take on The South African's Facebook post.
Gerald Jonkers said:
"My take on this is that he ANC must stay on the policies to change the country. The DA has no right to dictateto the president who must replace Rasool."
FrancisKoopman said:
"Some people conveniently forget that the ANC is no longer the majority ruling party. Every decision being taken has to be a collective decision of the GNU."
Baile Nakedi said:
"They have their policies, and we have our policies."
Modiba William Lekalaka said:
"Trump is relegating America to the scrap heap of democracy."
Shaun Peter Phillips said:
"He just made himself ineligible."
EFF slams donald Trump after Rasool's expulsion
In another article, Briefly News reported that the Economic Freedom Fighters slammed the United States President, Donald Trump. This was after Rubio expelled Rasool.
The Red Berets said Trump was the saviour of white supremacy and said he was like the leader of the white supremacy group, the Ku Klux Klan.
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Source: Briefly News
