Presidency on concern over comments by Jonas in past

The presidency has defended its decision to send former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas to the US as a special envoy amid escalating tensions between the two countries.

Concerns were raised about an old video of Jonas resurfacing in which he referred to Trump as a “racist”, “homophobe” and “narcissistic right-winger” during an Ahmed Kathrada Annual Lecture in 2020.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Jonas had made those comments in his private capacity and not as a government representative.

“We believe Jonas will be able to undertake this task. The comments he made were made in his capacity as a private citizen,” said Magwenya. 

“At that time, he was not an ambassador or an envoy, and did not represent the South African government in any way. Those remarks should be placed in that context.”

He was convinced that Trump wouldn’t hold this against Jonas.

“We don’t believe Trump is a man that holds grudges. If that was the case a number of his cabinet members would not be serving in his cabinet. Leo Brent Bozell III wouldn’t have been nominated as US ambassador to South Africa.

“We believe Trump and his administration will have an appreciation that in politics things get said but that doesn’t mean people are beholden to those positions. Equally, unkind remarks have been made about the African continent by Trump and there’s no African leader that holds those comments against him. There’s a sense that everyone wants to move forward positively and constructively in terms of the relationship with the US.”

Jonas’ appointment comes amid escalating tensions between South Africa and the US. Former South African ambassador to the US Ebrahim Rasool was expelled for criticising Trump’s administration and Trump has expressed disapproval of South Africa’s land policies, threatening to boycott the G20 summit in November.

Jonas has been tasked with advancing South Africa’s diplomatic, trade and bilateral priorities. He will engage with US government officials to promote the country’s interests.

Magwenya said Rasool and Jonas’ situation were not the same and that Rasool was in office when he had made those comments.

“There’s a distinct difference between the comments Rasool made in his capacity as an ambassador. Jonas made these comments when he was a private citizen at the time.

“We believe the Trump administration will be able to differentiate this issue contextually, and that Jonas will engage appropriately with counterparts and either officials in Trump’s administration on behalf of the president and South Africa.”

Early this week, Jonas also defended his statements saying he was not serving in the government at the time.

“I was speaking as an activist and I think these things happen. People move on and confront the challenges of the time. I’m sure if you Google any politician, you will find they have said something nasty about one politician or another,” Jonas said in an interview with Radio 702.

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