Non-interference is golden rule, Cyril Ramaphosa tells new diplomats to SA

President Cyril Ramaphosa formally accredited US ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III on Wednesday and used the occasion to warn the assembled diplomatic corps against publicly criticising their host country, a standard Bozell has already fallen short of in the weeks since his arrival.

The president outlined three explicit rules during the presentation of credentials of the various ambassadors. This includes that ambassadors should not interfere with the internal affairs of their host country.

If concerns arise, they must be raised directly with officials in the host country’s foreign affairs department through quiet diplomacy, not aired publicly. Diplomats must, at all times, preserve dignity and partnership between their respective countries, Ramaphosa said.

“Whenever I appoint ambassadors or high commissioners to your various countries, I expect them to respect your country’s sovereignty and to promote good relations between our two nations,” Ramaphosa told the envoys gathered at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria. He made it clear the expectation runs both ways.

“They should never criticise their host countries publicly and in a confrontational manner but should always seek to raise issues privately and constructively,” Ramaphosa said. He described non-interference as the golden rule, quiet diplomacy as the second, and the preservation of dignity and partnership as the third.

Bozell’s formal accreditation was done along with those of the ambassadors from 19 other nations including Cuba, Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Ukraine, Ghana and Haiti.

Tension with US

Bozell’s formal accreditation came after months of friction between Pretoria and Washington, including the expulsion last year of South Africa’s ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, by the Trump administration.

Ramaphosa has not appointed a replacement for Rasool but appointed veteran diplomat Thabo Thage to Washington, as the deputy head of mission.

In March, South Africa formally issued a diplomatic protest to Bozell over remarks including criticism of the country’s judiciary, following which the new US ambassador withdrew.

“If they have any manner of concern, they should raise those concerns directly with officials in your country’s foreign affairs department and engage in quiet diplomacy,” Ramaphosa said on Wednesday.

Relations between the US and South Africa have deteriorated since Trump returned to office in 2025, with Trump repeatedly falsely accusing Ramaphosa’s government of carrying out a genocide against white farmers.

Trump has also offered refugee status to members of the Afrikaner minority, imposed the highest tariffs in Sub-Saharan Africa on South African imports, and had US officials boycott Group of 20 meetings (G20) hosted by Pretoria last year.

South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice remains a point of heated contention with Washington. Bozell is widely seen as having been tasked with persuading Pretoria to withdraw the case — a mission that faces formidable domestic resistance.

When asked by Business Day on the sidelines of the event whether he had witnessed any evidence of genocide against white farmers since his arrival, Bozell said he preferred not to comment.

“There are those who want to sow discord … I am not one of them,” Bozell said.

Wednesday’s credential ceremony was viewed as a signal that both sides may be ready to rebuild ties, even as disagreements over trade, foreign policy and rhetoric continue to test the relationship.

On geopolitics, Ramaphosa called on all nations to respect international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and welcomed the ceasefire announcement in the Middle East between US, Isarael and Iran expressing hope it would lay the basis for a permanent resolution of the conflict.

“We, as South Africa, are not an island. We are part of the whole,” Ramaphosa said.