Find the sound bite by Emma Louise Powell MP.
In the extraordinary events, the Democratic Union (DA) can reveal that President Cyril Ramaphosa has been fully aware for months that his “special envoy” has not been welcomed in Washington, D.C.
With just two weeks before the catastrophic 30% tariff takes effect, the DA can confirm:
The United States rejected McEbisi Jonas a diplomatic visa in May this year. The US government officially rejected Jonas' qualifications and notified the President that he would not be recognized as an official South African interlocutor. The Ramaphosa administration was explicitly advised on several occasions that Jonas was not accepted by Washington, and urged to appoint an alternative envoy.
Despite these clear and repeated communications, the presidency continued to mislead the public by insisting that Jonas remains the president's special envoy to North America and bears responsibility for repairing bilateral relations between the two countries.
In a June 2025 interview with SABC, which aired, he found that despite his full awareness that Jonas had been denied a diplomatic visa by the US and not officially received, President Ramaphosa doubled on national television, saying, “McEbisi Jonas is still my North American Envoy {} and does a good job.”
This week, President's spokesman Vincent Magwenia denounced social media, denounced the DA at President Powers, denounced social media, denounced social media, denounced social media, denounced social media.
The presidency owes a full and honest account of South Africans that it can justify double the appointment of a rapporteur formally rejected by the host government.
Ambassador LaSaul's embarrassment from the United States makes it undeniable that the president is more interested in saving faces than protecting the livelihoods of South African businesses and workers who ultimately pay the price for his inaction.
As the nation recognizes that there is actually no special representative in Washington defending South Africa on behalf of the presidency, it is clear that our economy could lose billions of rands in exports in the coming weeks when tariffs on the release date come into effect.
The DA writes to the Speaker of the Council and calls for an urgent Congress briefing from the President on the failed appointment of Jonas. The DA will take all necessary steps to request the immediate appointment of a reliable envoy that can repair the enormous damage that is currently underway.
