WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 14: Brent Bozell, Founder and President of the Media Research Center, speaks during the "Climate Hustle" panel discussion at the Rayburn House Office Building on April 14, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Kris Connor/Getty Images)
US Ambassador-designate Leo Brent Bozell will meet President Cyril Ramaphosa for the first time on Wednesday when the president receives Letters of Credence from Heads of Mission-Designate from several countries.Â
The Credentials Ceremony will be held at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria on Wednesday, 8 April 2026.
Accreditation
Bozell’s accreditation comes against the backdrop of strained relations between the US and South Africa, tensions that have persisted since President Donald Trump returned to office.
He was nominated by the US president in March 2025 to succeed Reuben Brigety as Washington’s top envoy in Pretoria.
Bozell begins his tenure after he was issued a démarche order over remarks on South Africa’s current policy trajectories.
Tensions
The deterioration of relations between Pretoria and the USÂ escalated after Trump signed an executive order suspending US aid to South Africa and announced a refugee programme targeting Afrikaners.
South Africa has not had an ambassador in Washington since the Trump administration expelled Ebrahim Rasool in March 2025, declaring him persona non grata and giving him just a week to leave the US over his comments about the administration.
Last month, Bozell III said his first task is to strengthen relations between Pretoria and Washington.
In a video message sent to The Citizen, Bozell said as his country marks 250 years of independence, he is reminded that liberty, justice and human dignity are not just American ideals, they are universal aspirations.
