THE appointment of Mcebisi Jonas as the special envoy to advance South Africa’s strategic partnership with the United States has been met with harsh criticism.

Jonas, the former deputy finance minister, was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa this week, following the expulsion of Ebrahim Rasool, SA's ambassador.

Rasool was sent home over remarks he had made about Donald Trump's administration.

Jonas' appointment also comes 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.

Zakhele Ndlovu, UKZN political science lecturer with a special interest in international relations, believed that Jonas was not the right person to serve as special envoy to the US.

Ndlovu said the ANC should consider appointing individuals from outside the party, adding that they should have appointed someone from the Democratic Alliance (DA) or Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and then maybe Trump would not have been as hostile.

"When you look at how the ANC has handled the issue of foreign policy, they have put the interest of the ANC ahead of the interest of the country. If you look at South Africa's approach to the Israeli conflict it's more about the ANC's interest rather than the country's interest.

"One of the reasons Trump is hostile towards SA is because of SA's interference in what is going on in the Middle East. I don't see how appointing someone like Mcebisi is going to help improve relations between the two countries. It was a bad move again by the ANC," said Ndlovu.

Ndlovu questioned what was so special about Jonas, that made him suitable for the position and would make the Trump administration change its policy towards SA.

"Historically Republican presidents have been very hostile towards the ANC. Ramaphosa has been a huge disappointment. We have this government of national unity (GNU) so someone from the DA or IFP should have been appointed. These parties have had good relations with the US," said Ndlovu.

He said the late Mangosuthu Buthelezi of the IFP had good relations with certain former US presidents and finding a candidate from the IFP would have been more suitable.

Ndlovu was of the view that Jonas' negative remarks in past about Trump comments will do little to mend broken relations between two countries.

IOL reported that US right-wing publications Breitbart and National Review have dug up Jonas' past comments, questioning his suitability for the role.

According to reports, Jonas in 2020 referred to Trump as "a racist, homophobic, and narcissistic right-winger" in a speech to the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation.

Breitbart and National Review are known supporters of Trump's Republican Party and have been critical of SA's relations with the US.

“The US government's position on Jonas' appointment will likely be known in the coming days, and could have implications for future diplomatic relations between SA and the US, but there is no real issue with the Special Envoy appointed so far,” said a US embassy official who did not want to be named because they are not allowed to speak to the media.

The Department of International Relations (DIRCO) issued a statement on Friday denying claims made by Semafor, an American news website, regarding an interview with Jonas.

"The statements attributed to Mr Jonas in the publication’s Friday newsletter are entirely unfounded. They neither reflect his views nor correspond to any actual interview, as no such engagement took place.

"Ironically, the publication fabricated quotes attributed to the special envoy regarding efforts to address prevailing misinformation about South Africa in the United States. Regrettably, these assertions are entirely false," read the statement from DIRCO.

When contacted by the Sunday Tribune, Jonas declined to comment, saying there were huge sensitivities and that he would get the person handling media enquiries to contact the Sunday Tribune, which did not happen at the time of publishing.

However, in a statement after his appointment Jonas said he will do his best to promote a healthy working relationship between South Africa and the United States.

"I am fully cognisant of the difficulties that lie ahead, considering recent global developments. However, I believe that areas of commonality and mutual interest could be embraced to reaffirm the long-standing ties between our two countries.

"There are no quick fixes in such a complex situation. I appeal that, in the national interest, South Africans exercise patience and allow us time and space to engage fully with different stakeholders in the United States and South Africa," said Jonas.

Ramaphosa said Jonas was entrusted with the responsibility to advance SA's diplomatic, trade and bilateral priorities.

"He will lead negotiations, foster strategic partnerships and engage with US government officials and private-sector leaders to promote our nation’s interests," said Ramaphosa.

Jonas served as one of four presidential investment envoys in 2018 to facilitate investment into South Africa.

Concurrently, he holds the position of independent non-executive chairman of the MTN Group, a role he will maintain alongside his responsibilities as special envoy.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE