The Presidency has issued a stern warning against treating the DA disinformation on international diplomacy as official government policy, following claims that the US has rejected Special Envoy Mcebisi Jonas’s credentials.
According to the DA, Jonas has been rendered ineffective in his role as President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Special Envoy to North America – allegations the Presidency has dismissed as both false and harmful and part of a campaign to embarrass SA.
“The DA seeks to add sensationalism to its claim by suggesting President Ramaphosa and Jonas face a crisis in view of the United States’ pending implementation of trade tariffs announced several days ago by President Donald Trump,” said presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.
Magwenya clarified that the DA’s claims are based on a fundamental misunderstanding – or deliberate misrepresentation – of the role of Special Envoys.
“The facts are that Special Envoys do not present diplomatic credentials to host countries in the way designated Heads of Mission or other diplomats do,” he said.
He added that while envoys are not required to publicly account for their work, the president has acknowledged their contributions in his reports.
“The president’s own accounts of his performance include elements facilitated by envoys,” Magwenya explained.
This campaign has its origins in a Democratic Alliance visit to the United States earlier this year, to advance an ideological agenda rather than our national interest.
— Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.
Magwenya stressed that Jonas’s efforts have not replaced the work of government departments directly responsible for trade and diplomacy but have complemented them.
“Jonas’s outreach does not in any way supersede the leading role played by the department of trade, industry and competition (DTIC) and the department of international relations and cooperation (Dirco) in our difficult but constructive trade negotiations with the United States, or in our diplomatic relations with this longstanding partner,” said Magwenya.
“He has played an important role in working with DTIC to develop trade proposals which South Africa is currently engaging the United States on – in good faith and with the expectation of mutually beneficial terms.”
Jonas has not been dispatched to the US urgently, as there has been no need for such travel, Magwena confirmed.
“President Ramaphosa has maintained direct contact with President [Donald] Trump, both through a telephone call and his working visit to Washington in May 2025. There has been no urgent requirement for Mr Jonas to travel to the US.".
The presidency has described the DA’s ongoing attacks on Jonas as part of a broader campaign to embarrass the country and advance a foreign-aligned agenda.
“This campaign has its origins in a Democratic Alliance visit to the United States earlier this year, to advance an ideological agenda rather than our national interest,” Magwenya said.
He accused the DA of using sensitive international matters to score political points over the removal of its member, Andrew Whitfield, as deputy minister of trade, industry and competition.
“The DA is trying cheaply – but dangerously – to exploit a critical engagement between South Africa and the United States to protest the president’s removal of Mr Whitfield,” he added.
He concluded by cautioning that the DA’s actions could have serious consequences for ordinary South Africans.
“If the DA succeeds in undermining South Africa’s relationships with other nations or international institutions, it will harm businesses and threaten the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of South Africans who depend on expanded trade and cooperation,” he warned.
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