Cyril Ramaphosa Will Not Replace Mcebisi Jonas Despite Resurfaced Video Slamming Donald Trump
- The Presidency said special envoy to the United States Mcebisi Jonas will not be replaced because of what he said about US President Donald Trump
- This was after a video of Mcebisi, who was the deputy finance minister, called Trump a racist homophobe in a 2021 lecture
- Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Jonas made the statements in his personal capacity
Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international relations, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his nine years of experience.
Source: Getty Images
PRETORIA — The Presidency said Mcebisi Jonas, who was recently appointed as the special envoy to the United States, will keep his job despite an old video of him bashing US President Donald Trump resurfaced on social media.
What did the presidency say about Jonas' video?
According to SABC News, Vincent Magwenya, the president's spokesperson, said Jonas made his comments in his personal capacity and not in an official political position. He said Trump's administration will understand that politicians always say things, which doesn't mean that those who said those things are beholden to the positions expressed.
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Magwenya also said Trump has previously made unpleasant remarks about the African continent, but there is a strong desire for South Africa and the United States to move forward in mending relations between them. He said Jonas would be able to engage with counterparts in the Trump's administration.
Source: Getty Images
What you need to know about Jonas' appointment
- Controversial DJ Gareth Cliff cast doubt over the president appointing Jonas as the special envoy to the United States
- Jonas' old video of him slamming Trump and calling him a racist homophobe went viral, and it sparked debate on social media
- AfriForum criticised Ramaphosa's appointment of Jonas and asked if his decision was made because of a lack of competence
South Africans weigh in
Netizens commenting on SABC News' Facebook post shared their views.
Collen Mdlongwa said:
"Unlike Rasool, Mcebisi Jonas did not say whatever he is alleged to have said while he was an ambassador or diplomat to America. But like Rasool, his assessment of Trump was 100% correct."
Ndinne Peter Mathukha said:
"He appointed him knowing very well that Jonas once said all of this about Trump. If Trump is not ready to take what we are offering, he must just tell us who he wants."
Lawrence Tlhowe said:
"South African politicians must understand that defaming others is not politics."
Nako Maselwane said:
"I'm sure the president was shocked as usual. This thing of shocking our president must stop."
Rosemary Braithwaite Moon said:
"This appointment is an intentional middle finger to President Trump."
Mnelisi Khulani said:
"It's really hard to work with someone you hate. I wonder how Jonas is going to cope."
Who is Mcebisi Jonas?
Jonas rose to national prominence between May 2014 and March 2017 while serving as South Africa’s deputy finance minister under former president Jacob Zuma. He was dismissed in 2017 alongside then-finance minister Pravin Gordhan.
He became one of the earliest and most prominent whistleblowers on State Capture. In 2016, Jonas publicly revealed that the Gupta family had offered him the finance minister position in exchange for helping advance their State Capture agenda.
Jonas later testified before the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture in 2018, where he detailed the incident. He alleged that the Gupta brothers offered him a R600 million bribe to accept the finance minister position and threatened to kill him if he exposed the meeting.
That same year, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Jonas as one of four presidential investment envoys to help attract investment to South Africa. He currently serves as the independent non-executive chairman of the MTN Group and will remain in that position.
Ebrahim Rasool defends the words that got him expelled
In a related article, Briefly News reported that former South African ambassador to the United States Ebrahim Rasool defended himself. This was after he returned to South Africa when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared him persona non-grata.
Rasool said he refused to withdraw his statements about Trump. He said he had given an honest analysis of the American political situation to intellectuals and political leaders.
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Source: Briefly News
