Ebrahim Rasool, the expelled South African ambassador to the United States, returned home Sunday to a hero’s welcome.
Hundreds of supporters gathered at Cape Town International Airport, singing songs of praise as he and his wife, Rosieda, emerged from the arrivals terminal.
Rasool, declared persona non grata by the Trump administration, addressed the crowd with a megaphone.
“A declaration of persona non grata is meant to humiliate you,” he said. “But when you return to crowds like this, then I will wear my persona non grata as a badge of dignity.”
His expulsion followed comments he made during a webinar, where he linked the Make America Great Again movement to “a supremacist instinct.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Rasool, calling him a “race-baiting politician” in a social media post.
The diplomatic fallout escalated after President Donald Trump signed an executive order cutting funding to South Africa, citing its alleged support for Hamas and Iran, as well as anti-white policies.
Rasool, however, insisted that South Africa must mend ties with Washington. “We don’t come here to say we are anti-American,” he told supporters.
“We must fight for our relationship with the United States, but we must keep our dignity.”
Rasool also reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Palestinian flags waved among his supporters as he declared, “We cannot sacrifice the Palestinians, but we will also not give up on our relationship with the United States.”
His return marks a dramatic chapter in South Africa-U.S. relations, as both nations navigate a tense diplomatic standoff.