Anti-Apartheid Movement Urges Ramaphosa to Reject US Ambassador Bozell's Credentials
- The Anti-Apartheid Movement urged President Ramaphosa to reject US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell's credentials
- AAM raised concerns over Bozell's statements on Israel and disinformation destabilising South Africa
- Bozell was sworn in as ambassador-designate three weeks ago and is expected to formally assume his duties
Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.
Source: Twitter
The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to consider rejecting the credentials of the incoming United States ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell, citing concerns about his past statements and political positions.
Rejecting the credentials of Leo Brent Bozell
Bozell was sworn in as ambassador-designate three weeks ago and is expected to formally assume his duties once he presents his credentials to Ramaphosa. The AAM, chaired by Reverend Frank Chikane, said his appointment raises serious concerns about the role he may seek to play in South Africa.
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The movement pointed to Bozell’s appearance before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee in October 2025, where he said he would attempt to persuade the South African government to withdraw its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The AAM said it rejected any efforts to intimidate or coerce South Africa for fulfilling its obligations under the Genocide Convention.
In a statement, the organisation said Bozell’s appointment should be viewed within what it described as a broader pattern of pressure against states that challenge impunity, including sanctions against international institutions, punitive measures against officials, and the selective application of international law.
Source: Twitter
Destabilisation efforts through disinformation
The AAM also criticised what it called destabilisation efforts through disinformation, including narratives framed as religious freedom and claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa, which it said undermine social cohesion. Bozell, a conservative author and media critic, is a strong supporter of Israel and was affiliated in the 1980s with a lobby group opposed to negotiations with then-imprisoned anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela.
South Africa has yet to appoint a replacement for former ambassador to the United States Ebrahim Rasool, who was expelled from Washington nearly a year ago following comments he made about President Donald Trump’s administration.
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Source: Briefly News
