President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will request a full report from the now-former US Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool after his sudden expulsion from the US over the weekend.

Rasool was declared persona non grata by the US administration after his comments during a webinar on Friday, in which he accused Donald Trump of mobilizing white supremacy.

ALSO READ: Ebrahim Rasool expelled as US Ambassador after Trump ‘supremacism’ comment

He was then reportedly given 72 hours to leave the country.

Ramaphosa, speaking to the media this morning on the sidelines of an ECD leadership summit in Johannesburg, said South Africa would engage the US on this and other matters.

“Rasool is going to come back and give me a full report. So I will wait for a full report from him, but at the same time we have noted the displeasure that has been expressed by the United States.”

The President confirmed that the government would soon send envoys to the US, including from the business community and government officials to improve relations with America.

“Improving our relationship with the United States of America is a priority for us. 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.”

The Presidency was reportedly only made aware of Rasool’s expulsion after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted about the matter on X.

I applaud @secrubio for calling out the South African ambassador’s disgraceful, anti-American hate speech. Suffice it to say that he is not cut out for diplomacy. https://t.co/PznudmAVbF

— Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman (@SenateForeign) March 14, 2025