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South Africa\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Bozell\u2019s formal accreditation on 8 April comes after months of friction between Pretoria and Washington, including the expulsion last year of South Africa\u2019s ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, by President Donald Trump\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n
Read:
SA issues formal protest to US ambassador
New ambassador strikes softer tone on SA than Trump<\/p>\n
Rasool had drawn Washington\u2019s ire after saying Trump supporters were part of a \u201csupremacist movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tensions have persisted even since Bozell\u2019s arrival. Last month, he was issued a d\u00e9marche by South Africa\u2019s foreign ministry over remarks questioning a domestic court ruling on hate speech.<\/p>\n
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Bozell will present his credentials alongside envoys from 19 other nations, including Cuba, according to a statement from Ramaphosa\u2019s office on Monday.<\/p>\n
Ambassadors can only fully assume their duties once their credentials are formally accepted by the host government.<\/p>\n
Relations between the US and South Africa have deteriorated since Trump returned to office, with the president repeatedly accusing Ramaphosa\u2019s government of carrying out a genocide against white farmers, a claim that has been widely discredited.<\/p>\n
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 G20 meetings hosted by Pretoria last year.<\/p>\n
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Rasool\u2019s boot from the USA: Did the ambassador overstep diplomatic boundaries?<\/p>\n
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He has further criticised South Africa\u2019s ties with Iran, Russia and China.<\/p>\n
Diplomatic engagement has remained limited. Washington has declined to engage with Mcebisi Jonas, Ramaphosa\u2019s special envoy to the US, who previously criticised Trump.<\/p>\n
Bozell replaces Reuben Brigety, who was appointed under former President Joe Biden and resigned after Trump\u2019s election victory in late 2024.<\/p>\n
South Africa has yet to name a successor to Rasool.<\/p>\n
Read: SA appoints Thage to embassy in Washington \u2013 report<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a02026\u00a0Bloomberg<\/p>\n
#Ramaphosa #receive #Envoy #Brent #Bozells #credentials #week<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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