Special envoy Mcebisi Jonas was not be part of the South African delegation that met US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
Image: FILE
The Presidency has a statement on the absence of the Special Envoy to the United States Mcebisi Jonas from the meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump, saying that Jonas had volunteered not to attend.
This despite reports indicating that Jonas had not been granted a visa by the US and was in London when the crucial meeting took place.
Magwenya on Thursday confirmed that Jonas holds a valid visa for travel to the United States but had decided not to attend after being part of the preparatory process prior to the meeting.
"Initial interpretations of procedural matters, communicated in good faith, have been amended following confirmation that Mr. Jonas holds a valid visa for travel to the United States of America,” Magwenya said.
He said Jonas contributed to preparatory engagements before the meeting, including consultations abroad, but his absence from Washington was at his own request.
However, it emerged that the Trump administration had raised concerns about Jonas's inclusion in the delegation, due to his previous comments about Trump.
In 2020, Jonas referred to Trump as "a racist, homophobic and a narcissistic right-winger," which resurfaced after his appointment as Special Envoy to the US. Magwenya indicated that the president may have to consider alternative envoys if the issues surrounding Jonas are not resolved.
Jonas’ appointment came amid tensions between SA and the US, particularly in light of a recent US funding freeze due to false accusations that the SA government is readying itself to illegally grab land and were involved in a white Afrikaner genocide.
Magwenya, speaking on 702 Wednesday morning, said part of the reason Jonas was not in Washington was because the Trump administration raised some "displeasure" about Jonas.
Sources close to Ramaphosa and the ANC said that prior to the departure of Ramaphosa’s delegation, there had been disagreements on whether to take Jonas, especially if this would displease Trump.
“The majority of the president's counsel wanted Jonas to go, but others said that he would just be an obstacle for the delegation when they arrived,” a source said.
The controversy surrounding Jonas' absence has put pressure on Ramaphosa to choose an ambassador preferable to the Trump administration.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has begun the process of finding a replacement for expelled Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, who was declared "persona non grata" by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Several names have been touted as potential candidates to replace Rasool, including former Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel.
Also considered are senior Afrikaans political figures like former defense minister Roelf Meyer, former tourism minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk, deputy justice minister Andries Nel and Ramaphosa's counsel in parliament Gerdhadus Koornhof.
Political analyst Sandile Swana said Ramaphosa was not under pressure to choose any other envoy because he had met with Trump with ministers and created an opportunity for detailed conversations to take place at a ministerial level.
“An envoy is not an ambassador…So once the reset has been done, then an ambassador can kick in and run the operation in accordance with what would have been agreed on in these discussions,” Swana said.
He said what remained to be seen, once the dust had settled, was how Ramaphosa would choose.
“He may choose a neutral person who is solid. Remember Rasool had a very successful career when (Barack) Obama was president, but he differed ideologically with Trump and correctly characterised the whole Make America Great Again initiative as a white supremacy movement,” Swana said.
mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za