South Africa accredits US envoy amid efforts to improve ties
President Donald Trump meets with President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
On April 8th, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa received the diplomatic credentials of the new US ambassador, as relations between the two countries deteriorate, reports Africa News and agencies.
Brent Bozell was appointed US Ambassador to South Africa in February, but got off to a rocky start with remarks on South Africa’s racial policies and court decisions.
The right-wing media critic and staunch supporter of President Donald Trump was welcomed with a guard of honour before he handed over his credentials to Ramaphosa in a brief ceremony at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.
“Before I arrived here, I cannot tell you how many people told me that in short order, I’d fall in love with the country. It’s only taken two months, and I can confirm that has happened,” Bozell said.
He added, “We are two nations with great shared values and interests… It’s my goal in my time here to build on those shared interests, to build on self-respect, to build on our shared values, to take our two nations to places they’ve never been.”
The ceremony also included credentials presented by envoys from Haiti, Cuba and the partially recognised Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
Ramaphosa’s remarks carried a broader message, that diplomats are expected to uphold their host country’s sovereignty, exercise discretion, and engage through constructive channels rather than public confrontation, an apparent reference to recent diplomatic tensions with Washington.
“It is this approach that I believe builds strong relationships between nations and helps to advance the interests of our respective countries based on mutual respect,” he said.
The strain in Pretoria-Washington relations is rooted in a range of issues, from South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, a US ally, to Trump’s disputed claims that white Afrikaners are being persecuted.
In March, Bozell was summoned to explain “undiplomatic remarks” after he labelled an apartheid-era chant, “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer,” as “hate speech”, contrary to South African courts’ ruling, and criticised policies meant to empower black South Africans in his first public address.
The new ambassador subsequently appeared to backtrack on his earlier remarks, affirming that Washington respected South Africa’s independence and its courts’ rulings.
Relations between the two countries have been strained since March 2025, when the US expelled Pretoria’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, following his criticism of Trump’s Make America Great Again movement.
Pretoria has yet to name a replacement; Washington’s previous envoy, Reuben Brigety, stepped down in November 2024, shortly before Trump returned to office.
Despite the tensions, South Africa remains the United States’ largest trading partner on the continent, home to more than 500 American businesses and 30,000 US citizens.
Africa News with AFP, Maghrebi.org.
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