The Democratic Alliance (DA) has alleged that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s special envoy to the United States, Mcebisi Jonas, was rejected by Washington in May 2025.
Jonas was appointed by Ramaphosa to the role of special envoy after the expulsion of former ambassador Ebrahim Rasool from Washington earlier this year, following Rasool’s incendiary comments labelling US President Donald Trump a leader of a global white supremacist movement.
The DA claims that Jonas’s application for a diplomatic visa was denied, with the US formally communicating to the Presidency that Jonas was not recognised as the country’s official representative.
Despite these revelations, Ramaphosa has remained publicly silent, leading the DA to accuse the administration of misleading the public regarding Jonas’s position and suitability.
“Despite being fully aware that Jonas had been denied a diplomatic visa by the US and would not be formally received, President Ramaphosa doubled down on national TV, declaring Mcebisi Jonas is still my North American envoy and has done good work.
“…When confronted with the DA’s announcement that it would submit a Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA) request detailing Jonas’ official engagements over the past 90 days, instead of coming clean with the truth, Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya lashed out on social media, accusing the DA of “encroaching” on the President’s powers.
“The Presidency owes South Africans a full and honest explanation as to how it can justify having doubled down on the appointment of a rapporteur whose credentials have been officially rejected by the host government,” said the DA.
Jonas was notably absent during the high-profile meeting between Ramaphosa and Trump in May. In response, the presidency released a statement that aimed to clarify his absence, affirming that both Jonas’s visa and credentials were indeed valid.
However, speculation regarding Jonas’s absence arose after reports suggested that the Trump administration raised concerns over past remarks he made, in which he reportedly labelled Trump ‘a racist, a homophobe, and a narcissistic right-winger.’
The DA added that with no recognised representative currently championing South African interests in the US, the economy stands to lose billions of rands when the tariffs come into effect.
“The DA will be writing to the Speaker of Parliament to request an urgent parliamentary briefing from the Presidency on the failed Jonas appointment. The DA will take all necessary steps to demand the immediate appointment of a credible envoy, capable of repairing the immense damage that has now been done,” said the party.
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