US ENVOY BOZELL ON THIN ICE — LAMOLA UNDER PRESSURE TO ACT
By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief
The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.
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The diplomatic rift between Pretoria and Washington is heading for a breaking point.
The Azanian can confirm that US Ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, is facing mounting calls for expulsion, with senior figures inside the ANC, Parliament and DIRCO pushing for him to be declared persona non grata.
Bozell, a right-wing appointee of US President Donald Trump, has become a lightning rod for anger inside Luthuli House over what officials describe as interference and disrespect for South Africa's sovereignty.
Sources close to the discussions told The Azanian that patience inside DIRCO has run out after a series of demarches that were allegedly ignored by the US mission.
"If he continues on this trajectory, DIRCO will have no choice but to ask him to leave. We cannot keep issuing protests that are treated with contempt," said one international relations analyst close to ANC foreign policy circles.
The pressure on International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola is now intense. Officials want a decisive response, with some explicitly calling for retaliation.
One senior ANC official told this publication on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of diplomatic relations: "South Africa must show it is a sovereign state. We cannot be treated like a colony."
A declaration of persona non grata would be the most dramatic move since Washington expelled South Africa's former envoy to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, in March 2025 after he made remarks critical of Trump.
Analysts warn the consequences could be severe.
The Trump administration is expected to retaliate using its full diplomatic arsenal — including visa restrictions, targeted sanctions, tariffs, and freezing a pending bilateral trade deal negotiated by Trade Minister Parks Tau and Deputy Minister John Steenhuisen.
"The White House sees this beyond trade. This is about BRICS, critical minerals, and geopolitical alignment," said a Unisa political analyst. "But Pretoria must still defend its sovereignty and democratic values, even if there is a price to pay."
Another emerging scholar described Bozell as Trump's "eyes and ears" in Pretoria, arguing his role is to replicate Washington's hardline stance rather than build bridges.
"Relations will not improve anytime soon. South Africa must stand firm on its domestic policy and outlast the political cycle. Governments come and go, the state remains," he said.
DIRCO and the US Embassy in Pretoria had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
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