South Africa Accepts US Envoy Amid Strained Ties

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa formally received the credentials of new US ambassador Brent Bozell on Wednesday, even as relations between Pretoria and Washington remain tense.

Bozell, a right-wing media critic and supporter of President Donald Trump, took up the post in February but quickly drew controversy with remarks on South Africa’s racial policies and court rulings. At the ceremony in Pretoria, he praised the country, saying he had “fallen in love” with it after two months, and pledged to strengthen shared values and interests.

Ramaphosa underscored that diplomats must respect sovereignty and raise concerns through quiet, constructive channels, not confrontational public criticism.

Ties between the two nations have been strained by South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, Trump’s claims about white Afrikaners, and Bozell’s earlier comments on the chant “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer,” which South African courts ruled was not hate speech.

The US expelled South Africa’s ambassador last year after he criticized Trump’s MAGA movement, and Washington has yet to name a replacement. Despite political friction, South Africa remains the US’s largest trading partner in Africa, with more than 500 American businesses and 30,000 US citizens based in the country.

Source: Newstimehub