PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP
President Cyril Ramaphosa said he expects a full report from now-former ambassador to the United States Ebrahim Rasool who has been expelled from the US following remarks that he made about US president Donald Trump.
The American government has given Rasool until Friday, March 21, to leave the country.
Rasool raised the ire of the United States when he, during a webinar with the Mapungbuwe Institute for Stategic Reflection, referred to Trump as a supremacist.
President Ramaphosa said he noted what he called the “displeasure” expressed by the US following Rasool’s claims and said South Africa will continue to engage the US.
“Improving our relationship with the United States is a priority for us,” he said.
“They are our second largest trading partner after China and we will therefore seek – as we must – to ensure that our relations are on a good footing, which is one thing that we do with all countries in the world.”
The president said South Africa is a peaceful nation.
“We don't have enemies in the world.
“We always seek to have friendly and very good relations [with other countries]. Sometimes relations with nations go through their ups and downs and as they go through their ups and downs, the responsible thing to do by any nation is to make sure that you deal with the challenges that there are – you straighten out the difficulties.
“And we've always found that when there are such challenges, and we engage, we do find solutions.
“And that is precisely what we are now going to do and this is our job and responsibility as a government: to advance the interest of our country as well as the interest of the people of South Africa," President Ramaphosa said.
