DA Federal Council Chairperson Helen Zille says the party used its working visit to the United States to promote a positive image of South Africa. Two weeks ago, a DA delegation met with representatives from the US State Department and the White House, including Senator Marco Rubio and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Zille has described the discussions as an effort to repair strained relations between South Africa and the US.

This follows US President Donald Trump’s recent executive order suspending the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar) funding to South Africa and the expulsion of Ebrahim Rasool as the country’s ambassador to the US. 

Speaking on the sidelines of the DA’s Human Rights Day commemoration in Johannesburg, Zille said their visit aimed to prevent ordinary South Africans from being affected by diplomatic tensions. 

“Well, they cut off aid before the DA went there. So, we were basically saying to them, ‘Don’t punish the people. If you don’t like the ANC, don’t punish the people of South Africa. We are a great nation of many people, and we have appreciated your support for Pepfar, USAID, and all the initiatives you have funded’,” says Zille. 

She also weighed in on Rasool’s removal, arguing that his statements about the US and its leadership were inappropriate for an ambassador. 

“Ebrahim Rasool was an ambassador. He said things that no ambassador should say about their host country and host president. So, he was asking for trouble. He is also a very well-known supporter of Hamas, and of course, we know exactly where Trump stands on the question of the Middle East. So, I suppose Dirco and the South African government were deliberately poking the bear, and they got that reaction. We just know that when you put an ambassador in a country as important as the United States of America, your choice is very important,” adds Zille. 

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