The appointment of Leo Brent Bozell III as the United States ambassador-designate to South Africa will likely lead to a more volatile and assertive diplomatic arena, according to international relations experts.

The US Embassy in South Africa on Friday confirmed that Bozell III has been sworn in as the United States ambassador-designate to South Africa.

The embassy said it looks forward to working under Bozell’s leadership to advance American priorities and promote “a safer, stronger, and more prosperous America” through continued engagement with South Africa.

“The US Embassy looks forward to working under his leadership to advance American priorities and promote a safer, stronger, and more prosperous America through continued engagement with South Africa.

“He will formally assume his duties following the presentation of his credentials to the Government of South Africa,” the embassy stated.

The next step of Bozell’s diplomatic journey is expected to be to officially present his Letters of Credence to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the government of South Africa, in line with diplomatic protocol.

Experts said that this will be an interesting time, given that then SA ambassador designate, Mcebisi Jonas, was not welcome in the US but South Africa will definitely welcome Bozell.

Professor Isaac Khambule from the University of Johannesburg said that despite the current climate, the government is likely going to welcome Bozell “because I think they do not want to cause any further tension between South Africa and the US”.

He added that while issues such as the Lady R vessel likely will not rear its head again, Bozell will have a specific mandate that he will be pushing.

“South Africa seems to be aligning with Russia, China and Iran, (from the naval drill) and all the countries that are anti-US. We’ve heard Bozell also saying that he’s going to push for South Africa to drop the ICJ case, which again shows his goals when it comes to South Africa,” Khambule said.

“If we look at the reconfiguration that is currently happening, the US are trying to bully everyone, but I don’t think that has been working in its favour because now it is more likely to cause a strain between its relations with the EU, and again this will go into what those in the Global South have been saying about the US conduct in international affairs.”

Director of Surgetower Associates Management Consultancy, Siseko Maposa, said the appointment of Bozell represents a significant and highly strategic manoeuvre by the Trump administration.

“Unlike his predecessor, Bozell combines staunch conservative ideology with a substantial digital following, which will amplify the profile of his diplomatic efforts and likely shape the tone of future engagements with South Africa.

“Given unresolved tensions between Pretoria and Washington, which include but are not limited to Israel, AGOA, the US-SA Bilateral Relations Review Act 2025 and trade tariffs, his leadership will likely lead to a more volatile and assertive diplomatic arena,” Maposa said.

Maposa added that Bozell has explicitly stated his intent to counteract what he terms South Africa’s “geostrategic drift” toward BRICS, China, Russia, and Iran.

“We can therefore anticipate direct challenges to South African government policies – particularly those espoused by the ANC regarding diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI), a posture the Trump administration frames as adversarial to American interests.

“Further focal points of his term will likely include securing favourable trade and business terms for US companies, opposing Black Economic Empowerment policies, and advocating for stronger protections of property rights,” Maposa said.

“Ultimately, the appointment of Bozell suggests that any meaningful improvement in the already fraught bilateral relationship will face significant hurdles.”

theolin.tembo@inl.co.za

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