Who will be up to the task of replacing Rasool as SA's ambassador to US?

US President Donald Trump has picked Brent Bozell, a well-known Republican insider and conservative media critic, as the next US ambassador to South Africa, extolling him as someone who “brings fearless tenacity, extraordinary experience and vast knowledge to a nation that desperately needs it”.

The unprecedented expulsion of South Africa's ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, after he publicly criticised Trump, came as a shock, marking a low point in relations between Washington DC and Pretoria. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said hard lessons had been learnt, adding that the government was moving to reset South Africa’s bilateral relationship with the US.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Lamola have doubled down on their commitment to ensuring sound and positive diplomatic relations with Washington, with Ramaphosa referring to Rasool’s expulsion as a mere “hiccup”, one his administration is determined to overcome. Lamola emphasised the need for both nations to iron out their differences through dialogue, and to capitalise on common interests.   

Ramaphosa is in no rush to appoint a replacement for Rasool, despite lobbying by some stakeholders, his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told journalists earlier this month. But his choice will ultimately say a lot about how he plans to engage with the US during Trump's tumultuous second term.