Ramaphosa to receive US Envoy Brent Bozell’s credentials this week

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa will receive the credentials of US Ambassador-designate Brent Bozell this week, a step that may signal a tentative easing of strained ties between the two countries.

Bozell’s formal accreditation on 8 April comes after months of friction between Pretoria and Washington, including the expulsion last year of South Africa’s ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, by President Donald Trump’s administration.

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Rasool had drawn Washington’s ire after saying Trump supporters were part of a “supremacist movement.”

Tensions have persisted even since Bozell’s arrival. Last month, he was issued a démarche by South Africa’s foreign ministry over remarks questioning a domestic court ruling on hate speech.

Bozell will present his credentials alongside envoys from 19 other nations, including Cuba, according to a statement from Ramaphosa’s office on Monday.

Ambassadors can only fully assume their duties once their credentials are formally accepted by the host government.

Relations between the US and South Africa have deteriorated since Trump returned to office, with the president repeatedly accusing Ramaphosa’s government of carrying out a genocide against white farmers, a claim that has been widely discredited.

Trump has also offered refugee status to members of the Afrikaner minority, imposed the highest tariffs in sub-Saharan Africa on South African imports, and had US officials boycott G20 meetings hosted by Pretoria last year.

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He has further criticised South Africa’s ties with Iran, Russia and China.

Diplomatic engagement has remained limited. Washington has declined to engage with Mcebisi Jonas, Ramaphosa’s special envoy to the US, who previously criticised Trump.

Bozell replaces Reuben Brigety, who was appointed under former President Joe Biden and resigned after Trump’s election victory in late 2024.

South Africa has yet to name a successor to Rasool.

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