WASHINGTON, 21 Dec. - (ANA) - The Trump administration said South Africa faced “severe consequences” over Pretoria’s opposition to US efforts to aid Afrikaners, widening a bilateral rift. Washington on Thursday condemned South Africa’s recent detention of US officials, saying they were providing “humanitarian support to Afrikaners.”

 

Since the start of his second term, US President Donald Trump has accused South Africa of waging a “genocide” against its white population — an allegation rejected by experts — imposing hefty tariffs as punishment. South African officials have sought to improve ties by making concessions, only to be rebuffed by the US. “How do you take this forward is a real conundrum,” a South African expert told the Financial Times.

 

To add fuel to the fire, the US Senate on Thursday, meanwhile, confirmed the appointment of Leo Brent Bozell III as ambassador-designate to South Africa in a move that is likely to add to tensions between the two countries. Bozell — a longtime conservative media critic with no diplomatic background — has previously criticized the anti-apartheid movement and offered support for disputed claims that Afrikaner farmers are under attack in South Africa. 

 

The “false narrative” of a genocide from the US has become a major sticking point in ongoing trade talks between Pretoria and Washington, South Africa’s foreign minister said this week. Bozell’s likely confirmation by a Republican-majority senate is expected to become another friction point. In March, Washington expelled Pretoria’s ambassador to the US for criticizing Trump during a webinar, and in May, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was ambushed by Trump in the Oval Office with claims of “white genocide.”  

 

Washington is reportedly planning to allow 7,000 white Afrikaners into the country, out of a total of just 7,500 refugees this year. - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/21 December 2025 - - -