It Is My Sole Right To Appoint South Africa's Next Ambassador To Us: Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa has rebuffed attempts by the Democratic Alliance DA to negotiate who the next South African ambassador to the United States US should be.

Expelled ambassador Ebrahim Rasool returned to the country on Sunday, leaving the post vacant just months after he presented his credentials in January.

The DA, a key member of the government of national unity GNU, has argued that Ramaphosa must consult all GNU parties before appointing the next envoy.

In light of increased tensions between the US and South Africa, the DA has called for a formal review of foreign policy at the cabinet level. This includes the adoption of a consensus-based approach to the appointment of ambassadors, the partys international relations and cooperation spokesperson Emma Louise Powell said last week.

However, speaking to the media on Tuesday 25 March, Ramaphosa expressed a different view. The President appoints ambassadors, and it is within his sole right to appoint ambassadors, he said.

He added that given the US position as South Africas second largest trading partner, we need to have top class representation in the US, and that is something that we are still working on.

DA Federal Council Chairperson Helen Zille has suggested former DA leader Tony Leon, who was also the countrys envoy to Argentina, as a possible pick.

"If I had to choose, I would choose somebody like Tony Leon. He would be absolutely excellent, she told SABC News over the weekend.

He's been a very, very good ambassador before in Argentina, and I think he has all the skills at the top level. He's an intellectual, he reads very widely, he understands foreign policy. That's the calibre of person you need.

In an interview with Moneyweb on Tuesday, Leon was non-committal on whether or not he would take up the job if offered.