Rocky start as US ambassador reprimanded

The new US ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, had barely unpacked before he landed in hot water with the government of his host country. To many commentators, this was no surprise as there is a perception that sending Bozell is, in effect, US President Donald Trump giving the South African government the middle finger. 

Senior researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs Gustavo de Carvalho agreed, saying, “Without question. Bozell isn’t a career diplomat or an Africa hand. He’s a conservative media activist who opposed engagement with the African National Congress in the 1980s. His appointment follows the US’s expulsion of Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, the G20 boycott, and the Afrikaner refugee programme. The message is clear: Washington has no interest in managing this relationship through conventional diplomacy.” 

During Bozell’s first public speech in Hermanus in the Western Cape, he declared the chant “Kill the Boer” incendiary. “I am sorry, I don’t care what your courts say, it’s hate speech.” He said that although Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) was designed to address historical injustices, it created compliance burdens and avenues for corruption, increasing risk for investors. He said the US was concerned about domestic legislation and the company that Pretoria keeps. 

Bozell added that Pretoria had ignored Trump’s “five asks” from a year ago. “Protecting rural communities from violence; condemning rhetoric that incites hatred or glorifies violence; ensuring that expropriation policies include clear and fair compensation standards; expanding digital and critical minerals cooperation; and ending mandatory surrender of ownership or control of corporate decision-making as a cost of doing business.” Bozell said Washington was losing patience. 

Although many may agree with Bozell, his words earned him a démarche – a public dressing down – from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. His office later clarified that these were his personal opinions, but the damage was done. 

Local commentators like Jovial Rantao were incensed at Bozell’s perceived arrogance, his dismissal of South Africa’s legal system, and his know-it-all, condescending tone. Others bayed for Bozell’s expulsion, à la Rasool, and Israel’s deputy ambassador to South Africa, Ariel Seidman. 

De Carvalho said, “Bozell went before business leaders to dismiss South African court rulings on ‘Kill the Boer’, compare B-BBEE to apartheid, and publicly restate all five of Washington’s demands – from dropping the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ‘genocide’ case against Israel to distancing from Iran and reversing land expropriation policies. The walk-back the next day, reframing his remarks as personal views, suggests Washington wants to apply pressure without triggering a full rupture. It’s a calibrated provocation: say the quiet part loud, then soften just enough to keep the channel open.” 

Professor of International Relations at Unisa, Jo-Ansie van Wyk, said, “It’s very clear that Bozell is from Trump’s inner circle and already expressed strong views on South Africa during his confirmation hearings. He has condemned South Africa’s ties with Iran and the ICJ case against Israel. This rebuke against him hasn’t been good for our relations with the US. Like his predecessor, Reuben Brigety, he’s rubbed the South African government up the wrong way.” 

South Africa is highly dependent on oil from Iran and the wider Middle East and must tread nimbly. 

“South Africa must take the long view and be strategic, or risk further alienation,” said Van Wyk. “There isn’t going to be a good reception of our continued support of Iran, especially now during the war. Our diplomacy needs to adapt to uncharted waters.” 

Former US diplomat and writer J Brooks Spector said, “If Bozell can find the language of fresh beginnings, he has a chance to make an impact. But that requires a receptive audience in Washington as well as an effort in South Africa to engage with the broad array of opinions, people, and institutions, and not just those seen as aligned with the ideas of [right-wing] groups like AfriForum.” 

De Carvalho said, “Since arriving in South Africa in late February, Bozell has oscillated between conciliation and confrontation. His initial welcome video struck a surprisingly upbeat tone, emphasising partnership and ‘South African exceptionalism’. But that softer opening did not last long. Within weeks, the mask slipped, and the confrontational posture that defined his confirmation testimony [in Congress] resurfaced with force.” 

Will Bozell change Pretoria’s stance on Israel? “Almost certainly not through public browbeating,” said De Carvalho. “The ICJ case carries too much domestic and Global South political capital for the government to abandon under visible American pressure; doing so would undermine the very moral authority on which it was built. If anything, Bozell’s approach risks hardening positions rather than shifting them. The real leverage Washington has is economic: the African Growth and Opportunity Act, tariffs, and the weight of more than 500 US companies operating in South Africa. That is where this contest will ultimately play out, not through ambassadorial theatrics.” 

Spector wrote in Daily Maverick, “In our current circumstances, Ambassador Bozell and his staff should contemplate how they can boil down his message to one crisp, key phrase. It must be the kind of statement encapsulating his desire to build a better relationship for the future, even if there are disagreements. Underscoring this mantra should be the idea the relationship is sufficiently worth saving that the hard work on improving it lies ahead, rather than in dwelling on past insults, angry words, and prickly disputes. As an experienced media professional, Ambassador Bozell certainly understands the importance of such an effort and being prepared to do it. But it may take time to move away from this first pothole in the road.” 

Spector added that the lesson for Bozell should be, “Avoid obvious pitfalls in the way things are discussed and bear in mind that being a successful media critic and a successful ambassador are two different breeds of cats.”