Rasool Declines ANC Request to Lead Western Cape Rebuild
Former South African ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, has declined a request from the African National Congress (ANC) to lead a task team aimed at rebuilding the party’s structures in the Western Cape. Rasool cited commitments to the World for All Foundation as the reason for his decision.
The ANC announced earlier this month it would disband its Western Cape leadership and establish a provincial task team following years of instability within the province. Rasool was initially named to head this team, but ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula confirmed on Tuesday that Rasool had declined the position.Mbalula stated Rasool “understood that the role of leading in the Western Cape required singular focus.”
Rasool, who previously served as the Western Cape’s premier, emphasized his long history with the ANC, spanning nearly four decades. “During the 1980s I was asked to sacrifice for freedom. I gladly did so. during the mid-1990s I was asked to lead the ANC from the low 33% [support in the province] and we took it to government in the province. After Polokwane, the ANC led by [jacob] Zuma asked me to resign as premier. I did so,” he explained.
However, Rasool asserted that circumstances have changed. “But this is a different time, a different ANC, and I’m a different person. seven months after returning from the US, I’ve had to engage the world without the ANC. I’ve signed the contract with a global entity, and I’ve advanced the work of the World for All Foundation.”
He detailed that his work with the civil society organization involves travel to regions requiring humanitarian and development assistance. Rasool also noted his ability to participate in geopolitical discussions,specifically referencing opportunities to “engage in…a coherent and heroic response to the bullying of a superpower as its dominance crumbles.”
“These matters keep me busy, and I will not have the 100% effort I usually bring to a task of the ANC, especially not one of leading an overly large and diverse collection in the face of a resourced and slick incumbent party in the Western Cape. I wish the ANC well in their task and the leadership of Jerimia Thuynsma,” Rasool concluded.
Rasool’s diplomatic tenure in the US ended with controversy in March 2024, when US Senator Marco Rubio announced on X (formerly Twitter) that Rasool was “no longer welcome” in the country, labeling him “a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS” and declaring him “PERSONA NON GRATA,” following reports Rasool had characterized US President donald Trump as leading a white supremacist movement.
The ANC’s restructuring in the Western Cape has already seen repercussions, with Neville Delport, the party’s former provincial secretary, defecting to the Democratic Alliance (DA) last week.
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