South African President Ramaphosa will not replace Mcebisi Jonas, his newly appointed US envoy, despite Jonas's controversial remarks about Trump. The presidency clarified that Jonas spoke in a personal capacity, and political issues should be separated from personal opinions. Jonas replaced Ebrahim Rasool, who was expelled by the US over similar diplomatic tensions.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will not be replacing his newly appointed special envoy to the United States, Mcebisi Jonas, despite controversial remarks Jonas made about former President Donald Trump. Jonas, who is said to have referred to Trump as a racist, homophobic, and narcissistic “right-winger,” allegedly made these comments after Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden.

In response to the controversy, presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya clarified that Jonas's comments were made in his personal capacity. He emphasized that South Africa believes the Trump administration understands that political figures sometimes make statements that do not necessarily reflect their official positions. Magwenya further noted that similarly harsh comments have been made by Trump about the African continent, yet no African leader has held those remarks against him. He stated that issues like tariffs should be addressed separately from personal opinions.

Magwenya also stressed that there is a collective desire to move forward positively in the bilateral relationship between South Africa and the United States.

Jonas, a former deputy finance minister, was appointed as special envoy to the US on Monday, replacing Ebrahim Rasool, who was expelled by the US last month due to a diplomatic dispute over comments he had made regarding the Trump administration.