US envoy Bozell may not be welcome in South Africa

The newly appointed US ambassador-designate to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, could be prevented from setting his foot on South African soil – because he is seen as a troublemaker within the ANC, the majority party within the ruling coalition.

Although the ANC itself has not taken an official position on the conservative envoy, who is expected to arrive in South Africa soon to take up his position at the US embassy in Pretoria, ANC struggle veteran Frank Chikane voiced opposition to the envoy coming to the country.

ANC veteran questions envoy’s intentions

Chikane, who is chair of the South Africa chapter of the Anti-apartheid Movement, said Bozell is not coming to the country to mend the broken relationship between the US and South Africa.

He said: “If the ambassador comes here to create a good relationship between us and the US, he is fine.

“But not if comes here to dictate what we should think, what we should do, because we have a sovereign right to make those decisions,” Chikane said.

ICJ case heightens diplomatic tensions

He cited Bozell’s statement during the interview for his appointment, when he said he would come to ensure South Africa scraps its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The ICJ found a plausible case of genocide in Gaza against Israel and established that the court had jurisdiction over the matter.

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But Israel denied having committed genocide and the final ICJ ruling will be announced later.

Bozell was sworn in as ambassador-designate by conservative Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a vehement critic of South Africa and staunch supporter of Israel.

Cruz advocates for Pretoria to be punished for its strong stance against Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Chikane said Bozell had indicated that he was not coming to the country to help improve relations between the US and South Africa.

Chikane warns against political interference

“Ambassadors are appointed to help relationships between two countries,” he said.

“But here is an ambassador who says: ‘I am going there to deal with them. I am going there to make sure they withdraw that case at the ICJ’.

“That ambassador is not coming here to help us fix the relationship between the US and South Africa. What we really can’t allow is to have somebody to come and interfere with our sovereign right to make decisions.”

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