South African government ignores calls to reject key Trump ally

The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has warmly received the new United States ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III.

Bozell is a conservative activist and writer, and Trump’s top choice to push the US agenda in South Africa. He can now formally begin his work after his credentials were accepted by DIRCO.

DIRCO had the option to reject Bozell’s credentials, which many were calling for the government to do, but DIRCO Deputy Director Clayson Monyela accepted Bozell’s credentials, posting on social media platform X: “Welcome to South Africa”.

Julius Malema, Leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) accused the US of sending a “rampant racist” diplomat to South Africa and said South Africa should exercise its sovereign right to refuse the new ambassador.

“We must exercise our rights to refuse cooperation with the individual whose sole intention is to dictate to us what our foreign policy must be,” he said.

The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) further called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to consider rejecting Bozell’s credentials. 

AAM argued that Bozell belonged to a lobby group in the 1980s that strongly opposed negotiations with then-political prisoner Nelson Mandela to end apartheid. 

Bozell has led several political organisations, including the National Conservative Foundation project at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

He is a staunch media critic and founded the Media Research Centre, an agency critiquing a perceived liberal media bias.

He has written multiple books, including Unmasked: Big Media’s War on Trump. His son was one of the individuals who stormed the Capitol in 2021 after Joe Biden was elected President over Donald Trump. 

Bozell plans to push US agenda

Bozell, a key trump ally, has outlined his plans for his work in South Africa. He said he would urge South Africa to end proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

He plans to advocate for the protection of private property rights, support Afrikaners wishing to leave due to perceived “racial discrimination”, and promote safety and stability. 

Economically, he plans to “encourage fair trade practices and reduce barriers for US Businesses” and says he will strengthen economic ties to support growth and prosperity in both the US and South Africa. 

Bozell comes into office at a particularly difficult time in South African-US relations.

The Trump Administration has insisted that there is a white genocide taking place in South Africa, a claim that has been thoroughly dismissed by the South African government. 

Along with other developments, Trump has cited this to justify measures such as imposing tariffs on South Africa, cutting aid, and supporting refugee applications for Afrikaners in the US.

The US Embassy in South Africa’s website now contains a portal for a refugee programme.

This is “for people who are of Afrikaner ethnicity or a member of a racial minority in South Africa who are victims of government-sponsored race-based discrimination,” said the embassy.

South Africa-US relations hanging by a thread

President Cyril Ramaphosa has frequently responded to Trump’s claims, calling them “blatant misinformation about our country.”

“There is criminality in our country. People who do get killed unfortunately through criminal activity are not only white people, but the majority of them are also black people,” he told Trump during an Oval Office meeting.

South African officials have also denied the allegations, saying that violent crime levels, while unacceptably high, impact all races. 

Africa Check debunked several claims Trump made about a genocide during a May 2025 meeting with Ramaphosa. 

The US is currently proposing three laws to impose penalties against South Africa and high-ranking officials. 

Tensions can be traced back to key issues, including, but not limited to, South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2024 and the deepening of BRICS partnerships along with other US adversaries.

Trump did not attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit held in South Africa in 2025, and furthermore has refused to invite South Africa to G20 events hosted by the US in 2026.

In January 2026 US issued a sharp rebuke of South Africa after it was confirmed that the South African Defence Force (SANDF) conducted naval exercises with Iran. 

A statement from the US Embassy called the action “particularly unconscionable” as Iranian authorities were “shooting, jailing and torturing” citizens engaged in peaceful protests at the time.