South Africa envoy expelled from US 'has no regrets'

The South African ambassador expelled from the US has "no regrets."

Ebrahim Rasool returned home on Sunday. He was welcomed by hundreds of supporters at Cape Town International Airport.

Tensions between South Africa and the US have worsened since Trump took office in January.

Rasool, 62, was declared unwelcome in the US after Secretary of State Marco Rubio's comments. Rubio called him a "race-baiting politician who hates America."

This followed Rasool's statement that Trump was "mobilising a supremacism." He noted that the white population in the US faced becoming a minority.

Upon arriving in Cape Town, Rasool defended his comments. He said they aimed to alert South African leaders about changing relations with the US.

He emphasized that the old way of dealing with the US was not effective.

While waiting for Rasool at the airport, supporters sang and danced. Members of various political groups held placards praising him.

Rasool's expulsion is rare for a senior official; lower-ranking diplomats are usually expelled instead.

Relations with South Africa have been deteriorating for months.

In January, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a law allowing land seizures without compensation. This law aims to serve the "public interest."

It follows years of calls for land reform to redistribute farmland from the white minority.

In response to this law, Washington cut aid to South Africa. An executive order cited "unjust racial discrimination" against white Afrikaners.

South Africa has strongly denied these claims.

On Sunday, Rasool expressed regret over not challenging Trump's views more effectively.

He was appointed ambassador last year due to his experience and connections in Washington.

Previously, he served as ambassador from 2010 to 2015 under President Barack Obama.