Dear Editor
In an extraordinary turn of events, the Democratic Alliance (DA) can reveal that President Cyril Ramaphosa has, for months, been fully aware that his “Special Envoy” is not welcome in Washington D.C. as the United States denied Jonas a visa two months ago, and rejected his credentials.
With just two weeks to go before the devastating 30% tariffs take effect, the DA can confirm:
- The United States of America denied Mcebisi Jonas a diplomatic visa in May this year.
- The US government has formally rejected Jonas’s credentials and has informed the Presidency that he would not be recognised as South Africa’s official interlocutor.
- The Ramaphosa administration was explicitly advised on multiple occasions, that Jonas was not acceptable to Washington and was urged to appoint an alternative envoy.
Despite these clear and repeated communications, the Presidency continued to mislead the public by insisting that Jonas remained the President’s special envoy to North America, responsible for leading the charge in repairing bilateral relations between our two countries.
In a televised SABC interview in June 2025, 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.”
This week, 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.
In the wake of Ambassador Rasool’s disgraced expulsion from the United States, it has become undeniable that the President is now more concerned with saving face than with safeguarding the livelihoods of South African businesses and workers who will ultimately pay the price for his inaction.
Now that the nation is aware that there is in fact no special representative advocating for South Africa in Washington on behalf of the Presidency, it is clear that our economy may in coming weeks lose billions of rands in exports when liberation day 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.
Regards
Emma Louise Powell MP
DA Spokesperson on International Relations & Cooperation