Alistair Ruiters, who serves as President Cyril Ramaphosa’s special adviser on investment promotion, is emerging as a frontrunner to become South Africa’s next ambassador to the United States.
South Africa has lacked a senior diplomat in Washington DC since March, when Ebrahim Rasool was removed by the Trump administration. This action followed comments Rasool made during an online seminar organised by the Mapungubwe Institute, where he criticised the US president for fostering white supremacy.
According to sources at the Sunday Times, Ruiters has played a central role in South Africa’s recent trade delegation to the United States, focusing on negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement and the reduction of the 30 per cent tariffs imposed on South African exports to the US. These duties place thousands of jobs at risk in the automotive sector and citrus farming industries.
Trade between South Africa and the US exceeded $26 billion in 2024, with imports from the US reaching $20.5 billion and exports from South Africa totalling $5.8 billion.
The prolonged absence of a replacement for Rasool has irked business leaders. An unnamed executive from the private sector highlighted that South Africa currently has no high-level representatives in either the US or China – two vital trading partners that together account for nearly half of the global economy.
The executive described the situation as a significant lapse in diplomatic oversight, arguing that the lack of formal channels in these powerhouse nations hampers South Africa’s interests.
Although Ruiters brings limited prior experience in diplomacy, his established connections in Washington are viewed as a considerable asset. It appears that Ramaphosa is proceeding cautiously with the selection, seeking a candidate who would find favour with the Trump administration.
Ramaphosa’s designated special envoy to the US, Mcebisi Jonas, has struggled to advance diplomatic efforts following the release of a video clip soon after his appointment. In it, the former deputy finance minister and chair of telecoms firm MTN voiced strong disapproval of the US president.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya declined to address rumours surrounding the ambassadorial vacancy in the US. He did, however, affirm Ruiters’s instrumental involvement in discussions with American trade officials.
Magwenya noted substantial advancements in bilateral talks, coordinated by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, and Ruiters himself. He suggested that by the time a new ambassador takes up the post, relations will be on firmer footing, creating a more supportive environment for accreditation and duties.
Magwenya rejected suggestions that Ramaphosa has delayed unduly in naming Rasool’s successor, explaining that extensive groundwork was required post-departure to foster a better climate for engagement. He added that recruitment efforts are progressing to address openings across all missions, including in Beijing.
In the interim, Malose Anthony Letsoalo, the chief director for bilateral trade relations at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, has been based in Washington to sustain ongoing trade dialogues.
Ties between South Africa and the US have deteriorated to their lowest point, with the Trump administration rebuking Pretoria on various fronts, such as black economic empowerment policies. President Trump has also spread unsubstantiated assertions that the South African authorities are perpetrating genocide against white Afrikaans farmers, prompting offers of refugee status to affected individuals in the US.
In May, Ramaphosa led a delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and notable South Africans in a White House meeting with Trump and his advisors, aimed at repairing the strained partnership.
To secure a trade pact with reduced tariffs, South Africa has weighed concessions like simplified access for US poultry, potential entry for American blueberries, and limited imports of US pork under rigorous health protocols.
Approximately 35 per cent of South African exports to the US – encompassing copper, platinum and rhodium – escape the tariffs unscathed. Nonetheless, officials are scouting alternative destinations for tariff-hit commodities, particularly citrus and other farm produce.
The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition has launched an export assistance hub and a localisation fund to deliver financial aid and liquidity to domestic exporters pivoting to new markets.
Now aged 61, Ruiters assumed his advisory role with the president in April. A seasoned public servant and entrepreneur, he held the position of director-general at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition from 2000 to 2005. He later acted as competition commissioner, chief executive of the National Empowerment Fund and the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor project, before transitioning to the private sphere in 2009 to join the mining firm Afarak.