Walking the diplomatic tightrope in US-South Africa relations

There is no way of knowing how or when this ugly spat between South Africa and the US is going to end.

With the Trump administration in office for the next four years, what appears to be the lowest moment in the relations might even get worse.

The take-home lesson for South Africa is “you are not in control of how this goes”. The return of Ebrahim Rasool to SA on Sunday after being declared persona non grata by Secretary of State Marco Rubio was celebrated by those who would like to see the country and the ANC be punished for what they consider their sins.

It was also met with defiance by others as was evidenced by the huge turnout at his homecoming rally.

Rasool has been chastised by many throughout the week for his utterances in a webinar, saying the Trump administration had chosen to identify with “a fringe white community in South Africa as their constituency, surrounded by a white diaspora in the White House”.

None of those who chose to chastise Rasool for being ungracious towards his host country have said exactly what it is that is wrong with what he said.

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Were his words blunt and direct? Yes.

Rude and insulting? No.

The real question is whether they were untrue.

And this is where those criticising him really go for him – “diplomacy requires one to hold back”. But, in short, what they’re saying is some truths must not be said out loud, especially if you’re a visitor.

Lecturing Rasool on diplomacy is the height of hypocrisy. This wasn’t his first ride on this road.

The man had been an ambassador to the US before. He knows what diplomacy is.

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But that does not mean that no mistakes were made on his part.

In diplomacy, timing is everything. Pointing out to President Donald Trump that his administration is aligning itself with a fringe white community in the middle of Trump having singled out South Africa as a country to be made example of is not diplomatic at all.

It is free speech but more along the lines of “I said what I said, do what you want”.

It is also important to point out that South Africa must never allow itself to have its foreign policy dictated to it by the one with the biggest purse out there.

Trump has chosen to repeat ad nauseam that “we’ve cut all financial aid to South Africa” as if a significant portion of this country’s budget comes from the United States.

Whatever aid was cut must never make this country become what his administration wants the country to be.

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Equally, it is not wise for the deputy secretary-general of the ANC to rub in that the renaming of Sandton Drive (where the US embassy is situated) to Leila Khaled Drive must be done so that “the US Embassy is situated at No1 Leila Khaled Drive in Sandton”.

Again, timing is everything in diplomacy.

But then again, Nomvula Mokonyane is not known for her timing or diplomacy, to the ANC’s greatest cost at the polls.

South Africa is never going to win a diplomacy or economic war against the US. But SA cannot choose to curl up and become the US’ bullying victim.

It is possible to avoid direct provocation of the current US administration by reining in the likes of Mokonyane, but remaining on the side of oppressed people throughout the world.

Trump will not rule the US forever, but provoking him will make four years seem like forever.

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