Mounting pressure on Lamola to act decisively as frustration with right-wing diplomat appointed by Trump reaches boiling.
US Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III. Picture: Kris Connor/Getty Images
US ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III is on thin ice, with mounting pressure on Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola to act decisively.
Within ANC and government circles, frustration with the right-wing diplomat appointed by US President Donald Trump has reached boiling point.
Officials calling for Bozell to be declared persona non grata
Some officials at Luthuli House, parliament and in Dirco are openly calling for Bozell to be declared persona non grata and expelled.
Such a move would mark a dramatic shift in Pretoria’s relations with Washington, echoing the Trump administration’s dismissal of South Africa’s former ambassador to the US, Ibrahim Rasool, in March last year.
Rasool was abruptly removed after making anti-Trump remarks that displeased the Oval Office, prompting Secretary of State Marco Rubio to act.
A senior ANC official, speaking anonymously, said: “It’s time for South Africa to retaliate. We need to take the fight to Trump. We must demonstrate that we are a sovereign state and he needs to stop treating us like an American colony.”
International relations expert Oscar van Heerden, closely associated with the ANC and influential in shaping its foreign policy, has been forthright. He believes South Africa cannot continue issuing diplomatic protests that are ignored.
“Bozell is on thin ice. If he continues his current approach, the South African government and Dirco will have no choice but to ask him to leave the country. While it would be a drastic step, we cannot continue to issue demarche upon demarche while being ignored.
‘Bozell is on thin ice’
“At some point, we need to send a clear message that we are a sovereign nation willing to face the consequences of our actions. If that means sending the ambassador home, then so be it,” Van Heerden said.
He warned that the Trump administration is unpredictable and may retaliate with punitive measures like visa restrictions, tariffs, and targeted sanctions.
More critically, Trump could use the much-anticipated bilateral trade agreement negotiated with Trade Minister Parks Tau and his deputy, John Steenhuisen, as leverage and stop or not implement it.
“These are all tools in their war chest, designed to force South Africa to the table where the administration would reveal its true intentions,” he added.
Van Heerden also suggested Trump’s motives may extend beyond trade, pointing to geopolitical concerns such as South Africa’s role in Brics, rare earths and strategic minerals.
“Whatever steps Pretoria takes, it must defend its sovereignty and democratic values, even if Washington responds with further punitive actions.”
Bozell’s presence becoming untenable
Dominic Maphaka, an emerging scholar from Unisa, added to calls that Bozell’s presence is becoming untenable.
He described the ambassador as Trump’s “ears and eyes” in South Africa, replicating the president’s views and undermining Pretoria’s independence.
“Relations are not going to improve anytime soon. If anything, South Africa should withstand the pressure and stand firm on its domestic policy position, while waiting for Trump’s term to end.
“Governments come and go but the state remains,” Maphaka said.
