South Africa accepts US envoy's credentials amid moves to thaw ties

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday received the diplomatic credentials of the new US ambassador, as relations between the two countries languish at a low ebb.

Brent Bozell, a right-wing media critic and staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, took up the post in February but got off to a rocky start with remarks on South Africa's racial policies and court decisions.

In a brief ceremony at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in the capital, Bozell, alongside his spouse, was welcomed with a guard of honour before he handed over his credentials to Ramaphosa.

"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.

"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 70-year-old envoy added.

Nineteen other envoys, including those from the partially recognised Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Haiti, and Cuba, also presented their papers.

Ramaphosa underscored the expectations for diplomats to respect their host country's sovereignty, exercise discretion and raise concerns through quiet, constructive channels rather than "confrontational" public criticism.

"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.

Fractured ties

Pretoria-Washington relations have become strained over a range of issues, from South Africa's genocide case against US ally Israel to Trump's disputed claims that white Afrikaners are being persecuted.

Last month, Bozell was summoned to explain "undiplomatic remarks" after he labelled an apartheid-era chant, "Kill the Boer, kill the farmer," as "hate speech" and criticised policies meant to empower black South Africans in his first public address.

While controversial, South African courts have ruled the chant does not constitute hate speech and should be considered in the context of the struggle against white-minority rule that ended in 1994.

The new ambassador later appeared to backtrack, saying the US government respected the independence and findings of South Africa's judiciary.

Washington expelled Pretoria's ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, in March last year after he criticised Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. A replacement has yet to be named.

Washington's previous ambassador, Reuben Brigety, resigned in November 2024, just before Trump took office.

South Africa is the United States' largest trading partner on the African continent with more than 500 US businesses and 30,000 US citizens based in the country.