Ramaphosa's New Us Special Envoy Mcebisi Jonas Once Called Trump A 'racist Homophobe'

President Cyril Ramaphosas newly appointed special envoy to the United States US, Mcebisi Jonas , has previously referred to US President Donald Trump as a racist homophobe.

US-based SABC News journalist Sherwyn Bryce-Pease was among the first to highlight Jonas past comments that may complicate his new appointment and role.

Jonas made the unflattering comments while delivering the annual Ahmed Kathrada Foundation lecture in November 2020.

At the time, the US was about to hold presidential elections that pitted the then-incumbent Trump, who had served his first term since January 2017, against eventual winner Joe Biden.

Right now, the US is undergoing a watershed moment with Biden the certain winner in the presidential race against the racist homophobe Donald Trump, Jonas said.

How we got to a situation where a narcissistic right-winger took charge of the world's greatest economic and military powerhouse is something that we need to ponder over. It is something that all democracies need to ponder over.

In March, the US expelled Ebrahim Rasool as South Africas ambassador in Washington for making similar remarks about Trump.

At a webinar hosted by the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection MISTRA, Rasool said Trump was launching an assault on incumbency.

So, in terms of that, the supremacist assault on incumbency, we see it in the domestic politics of the USA, the MAGA movement, the Make America Great Again movement, he added.

Ramaphosa announced Jonas appointment on Monday 14 April, saying he will serve as the official representative of the President and the Government of the Republic of South Africa.