South Africa has appointed a special envoy to the US in an effort to ease tensions between the two countries, which have worsened since Donald Trump’s return as president.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Mcebisi Jonas’s selection, adding that he would be “entrusted with [advancing] South Africa’s diplomatic, trade and bilateral priorities”.
Jonas, a former deputy finance minister, made headlines when he made corruption allegations against a wealthy family linked to former President Jacob Zuma.
The US last month expelled South Africa’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, over remarks he had made about the Trump administration.
Ramaphosa’s office said Jonas would be “serving as the official representative” of the president and South Africa.
“He will lead negotiations, foster strategic partnerships and engage with US government officials and private-sector leaders to promote our nation’s interests.”
Who is Mcebisi Jonas?
Jonas has previously served as one of South Africa’s four investment envoys, appointed in 2018 to help encourage foreign companies to put their money into the country.
He first came into the spotlight during his tenure as deputy finance minister when he accused the wealthy Gupta family, which had close ties to Zuma, of offering him a bribe of 600 million rand ($31.7m; £24.14m) to become finance minister.
This was one of the most shocking of a series of allegations of corruption against Zuma and the Guptas.
Jonas, who declined the offer and would later become vocal about his resistance, said this offer came just before his then boss, Nhlanhla Nene, was sacked by Zuma.
Had he accepted, Jonas at the time said that he would have been expected to remove key Treasury officials from their posts and use his position to advance the Gupta family’s “business ambitions” – an example of what has become known in South Africa as “state capture”.
He later said he had been told he would be killed if he ever spoke about the meeting. The Gupta family has denied the allegations, while Zuma has always denied all accusations of corruption made against him.
Nene was eventually replaced by then little-known David van Rooyen, leading to a run on the currency and national protests, before a new finance minister was appointed just days later.
Jonas currently serves as an independent non-executive chairman of the multinational telecommunications company, the MTN Group, which Ramaphosa said he will continue with alongside his appointment as special envoy.
Ramaphosa earlier this year announced he would be dispatching envoys to several countries, including the US, to explain the country’s position on key issues, some of which have drawn the Trump administration’s ire.
Relations between the US and South Africa, characterised by ups and downs over the years, hit rock bottom earlier this year, with Trump cutting off aid to the country, citing the new Expropriation Law, which allows the government to confiscate land without compensation in certain circumstances.
Trump, in a post over the weekend, reiterated his intention to boycott the upcoming G20 2025 Summit taking place in South Africa later this year, citing the controversial land policy as the main reason.
Trump has also condemned South Africa for taking Israel to the International Court of Justice, accusing it of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, which Israel has denied. – BBC
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