Mbeki best person to break US-SA diplomatic impasse, says Bozell

In a rebuke of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s handling of diplomatic relations between the two countries, US ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III has pointed to Ramaphosa’s predecessor Thabo Mbeki as the person best placed to break the diplomatic impasse.

In an interview with Business Day on Monday, Bozell praised Mbeki’s stature as a veteran statesman and master negotiator, arguing that such a high-level intervention is urgently needed to navigate complex negotiations directly with Washington.

“President Mbeki understands the mechanics of international diplomacy and economic engagement at the highest level,” Bozell said.

“When you are dealing with fundamental economic frameworks and trying to move past impasse into actionable agreements, you need someone who commands immense respect in both capitals,” Bozell said.

Bozell expressed “disappointment” in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s handling of relations, saying Washington has “run out of patience”.

Ramaphosa has appointed Roelf Meyer as his point man in Washington, tasking him with mending the breaking relations between the two countries.

Tensions between the US and South Africa have reached a new high with the US government saying it will not grant visas to certain unnamed South Africans, citing the country’s empowerment laws and policies.

Bozell’s proposal comes amid escalating friction over trade, geopolitical alignments, domestic reform expectations and recently imposed visa restrictions on South Africans.

Last week’s move follows the imposition of punitive tariffs on South African exports to the US and the introduction of a preferential refugee programme the US government gave to willing Afrikaners it claimed were victims of genocide in South Africa.

Confirming that the Trump administration has instituted selective US visa restrictions targeting South African officials, Bozell warned that the time for dialogue without concrete outcomes is over. The targeted visa measures apply to foreign nationals — and potentially their immediate families — deemed responsible for or complicit in:

Bozell said Ramaphosa’s recent letter to US President Donald Trump failed to satisfy demands from Washington.

“President Trump, through me, expressly pointed out … that after a year and a half of these discussions … America had run out of patience, and he wanted answers.

“Well, we got the answers in a letter from Ramaphosa to President Trump last week. He refused to do any of the outstanding asks,” Bozell said.

South African officials rejected claims that diplomatic channels have broken down, accusing Washington of continuously shifting its expectations despite major policy concessions from Pretoria.