Mcebisi Jonas has been appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa as special envoy to the United States.
Following the announcement on 14 April, here’s a look at Jonas’ political and business career, and his scathing opinions on US President Donald Trump.
Jonas accepts the ‘challenging’ role
In a statement, Jonas thanked Ramaphosa for “entrusting” him with the “important but challenging” role.
“I will do my best to promote a healthy working relationship between South Africa and the United States,” he said.
Diplomacy between South Africa and the United States has all but broken down under the Trump administration. Jonas’ appointment comes in the wake of former ambassador to the US Ebrahim Rasool’s expulsion and as President Donald Trump hinted he would not attend the G20 Heads of State meeting in Johannesburg later this year. South Africa must also negotiate tariffs with the US in the coming months.
“I am fully cognisant of the difficulties that lie ahead, considering recent global developments,” said Jonas.
“However, I believe that areas of commonality and mutual interest could be embraced to reaffirm the long-standing ties between our two countries.”
Mcebisi Jonas as deputy minister, whistleblower and businessman
Jonas shot to national prominence between May 2014 and March 2017, when he was South Africa’s deputy finance minister under former president Jacob Zuma. Zuma fired him in 2017, along with former finance minister Pravin Gordhan.
Mostly notably during that era, Jonas became one of their earliest whistleblowers on State Capture. In 2016, during Zuma’s presidency, Jonas publicly claimed that the Gupta family had offered him the position of finance minister in exchange for assisting them in their State Capture project.
Jonas went on to detail the occurrence when he testified before the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture in 2018. He alleged that the Gupta brothers offered him a R600 million bribe to get him to accept the finance minister role and threatened to kill him if he reported the incident.
In 2018, Ramaphosa appointed him as one of four presidential investment envoys tasked with facilitating investment into South Africa. Jonas currently serves as independent non-executive chairman of the MTN Group and will continue in that role.
‘Racist’ and ‘homophobe’: Jonas’ previous criticism of Trump
Although Jonas has committed himself to his new role, he has previously strongly criticised US President Donald Trump.
In 2020, at the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s annual lecture, Jonas reflected on the American presidential election taking place at the time.
“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 in the address.
He continued: “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.”
These remarks may raise questions around Jonas’ suitability for the special envoy role. International relations experts previously criticised then-ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, for publicly describing Trump’s administration as “supremacist” and those remarks got Rasool expelled as a diplomat.
Jonas’ appointment as special envoy is with immediate effect, while Ramaphosa still considers who to appoint as ambassador to the United States.
Mcebisi Jonas’ qualifications and background
Mcebisi Jonas has a Bachelor of Arts in History and Sociology and a Higher Diploma in Education.
According to his biography on the South African Government website, Jonas has also completed several courses in marketing, trade and investment from the University of Cape Town and various foreign development agencies. Jonas is also the author of After Dawn: Hope after State Capture.
Jonas was active in the anti-Apartheid struggle, serving in both the United Democratic Front and Umkhonto weSizwe. As per his government biography, he remains a member of the African National Congress.
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