The South African ambassador, who was expelled from the United States, expressed pride in his persona non grata status.

Emrahim Rasul, the Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa (RSA), who was expelled from the United States, said he intends to be proud of the persona non grata status given to him by Washington. This was reported on March 24 by CNN.

Upon arrival at Cape Town airport, Rasul, who returned with his wife Rosida, was greeted as a national hero by hundreds of supporters, the Newspaper adds.Ru». In order to safely pass through the airport building, they needed a police escort.

"The declaration of persona non grata is intended to humiliate you. But when you were greeted at home with such warmth, then your persona non grata status is already a sign of dignity," Rasul said, addressing his compatriots through a megaphone.

The diplomat stressed that the decision to return home was not his choice, but he arrived in South Africa without regrets.

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On March 14, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared the South African ambassador persona non grata and accused him of hating the state and American President Donald Trump. Rubio stressed that Rasul's visits to the country are no longer welcome in the United States.

On March 7, Trump himself announced that the United States was ending all federal aid to the Republic of South Africa. He added that he would arrange for all those who want to leave the country to obtain US citizenship quickly.