Ramaphosa to receive US envoy, signaling possible thaw in relations

Key topics:Ramaphosa to accept credentials of new US ambassador Brent BozellMove may signal easing of strained US–South Africa relationsTensions persist over past disputes and Trump administration actions.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Antony Sguazzin.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 April 8 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. 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 Group of 20 meetings hosted by Pretoria last year. He has further criticized 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 criticized 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..© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.

Ramaphosa to receive US envoy, signaling possible thaw in relations

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