The former deputy finance minister, Mcebisi Jonas has to salvage ties with Washington amid a diplomatic deep freeze and global trade war.
The furore over the appointment of Mcebisi Jonas as special envoy to the United States has forced us to confront the reality of the situation with which we are confronted.
Jonas’s dedication to the country — and in representing South African interests — has never been in doubt. His refusal of a R600 million bribe is national legend and solidified his reputation as a good-faith actor.
But his honesty now has repercussions. His past comments about US President Donald Trump have compromised his ability to perform the functions he has now been assigned.
The question is not whether he should have uttered the remarks in the first place — outside of a state role, which he was at the time, he is free to comment on whatever he wishes. But both he and President Cyril Ramaphosa have opened themselves up to criticism for not foreseeing the issues that swiftly followed the announcement.
We cannot afford myopic ignorance at this volatile point in world history. Not when we are dealing with Trump, someone infamous for his capriciousness and intolerance of dissent.
It would also be a mistake to frame our thinking around a false dichotomy between obsequiousness and principle.
Special envoy deployments and ambassadorships must be filled by people loyal to South Africa and representative of our philosophy. That is a principle on which we must be uncompromising.
But that requirement on its own is insufficient in the current environment. We have to be uniquely circumspect. That does not mean we grovel or allow ourselves to be bullied into submission. It means we remain cognisant of the multiple factors in motion and play our hand intelligently in response to them, not in spite of them.
In fairness, making the appointment in a situation like this is difficult. So much of the South African political space is inherently linked to ideology: many of our most competent potential diplomats probably have something in their past that could be creatively construed in any manner of harmful ways. Similarly, the list of people who have never criticised Trump is short.
Yet the way this week’s saga has played out shows a government that does not comprehend what game it should be playing, nor does it understand the grave consequences of playing it poorly.