Trump’s new ambassador Bozell arrives in South Africa amid strained ties

President Donald Trump’s pick for ambassador to South Africa, conservative activist and writer Leo Brent Bozell III, has arrived in the country where he will seek to improve fraught ties between the two states. An embassy official told Reuters on Monday that Bozell had arrived. He is expected to present his credentials to President Cyril Ramaphosa before officially taking up his post.

Relations between Washington and Pretoria have deteriorated in the last year as Trump has accused South Africa of persecuting its white minority, criticised its ties with Russia and China, imposed steep tariffs on its exports and cut all aid. Bozell said in his Senate confirmation hearing in October that he would approach his ambassadorship “with respect for the South African people”, and that he saw “real opportunity for a lasting partnership” despite areas of disagreement. The first objective could heighten tensions with South Africa’s government, which regards support for Palestinian rights as a core element of its foreign policy.

Israel has denied accusations of genocide over its military campaign in Gaza and says South Africa’s case is unfounded. While Pretoria strongly rejects claims that its white minority is persecuted, it has said it will not interfere with the U.S. refugee programme.

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Bozell began his political career at the National Conservative Political Action Committee, where in the 1980s he opposed U.S. engagement with the African National Congress (ANC) as it fought to end white minority rule.

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