Wednesday, 26 March 2025

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) unequivocally condemns the provocative and hostile nomination of Leo Brent Bozell III, founder of the Media Research Center, as the United States of America (USA) Ambassador to South Africa by President Donald Trump. This nomination is not a mere diplomatic appointment; it is a calculated act of aggression, a blatant declaration of war against the sovereignty, dignity, and aspirations of the South African people. It is clear that Trump, through this appointment, has no intention of mending the already strained relations between our nations but instead seeks to deepen the divide and impose his imperialist agenda on our soil.

Bozell is no ordinary diplomat. He is a well-documented conservative ideologue, a fierce defender of right-wing extremism, and a man whose career has been built on advancing narratives that undermine progressive values and perpetuate division. As the founder of the Media Research Center, Bozell has spent decades railing against what he perceives as liberal bias, while championing causes that align with the interests of the global white supremacist establishment. His nomination comes on the heels of Trump’s recent actions: freezing financial aid to South Africa, expelling our ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, and issuing baseless accusations of anti-white policies, and the flagrant lie of a so called ‘white genocide’, all of which expose a deliberate strategy to target and destabilise our nation.

The EFF views this appointment as a clear indication that Trump is aggressively targeting South Africa. Far from seeking reconciliation or mutual respect, Trump’s administration is doubling down on its contempt for our country’s stance on international justice, including our courageous efforts to hold Israel accountable at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for genocide in Gaza. Bozell’s nomination is a continuation of this hostility, a move designed to install a figurehead who will serve as a mouthpiece for Trump’s divisive and supremacist ideology rather than a bridge for diplomacy. This is not an ambassador of peace; this is an emissary of provocation.

Let us be clear: Bozell is a white supremacist whose values stand in direct opposition to the principles of equality, justice, and liberation that define South Africa’s struggle and identity. His track record reveals a man who has consistently aligned himself with forces that seek to preserve privilege and power for a select few, at the expense of the marginalised and oppressed.

His family legacy, marked by his son’s participation in the January 6th Capitol insurrection and his grandfather’s violent assault on an abortion clinic, further underscores the extremism that runs through his veins. To appoint such a figure to represent the United States of America in South Africa is to spit in the face of our hardwon democracy and the memory of our anti-apartheid heroes.

The EFF will not stand idly by as Trump attempts to impose this affront on our nation, we urge the South African government to reject Bozell’s credentials outright and to demand that the USA reconsider this reckless nomination. We cannot allow Trump, through Bozell or any other means, to undermine our nation’s progress or dictate our future.

ISSUED BY THE ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Leigh-Ann Mathys (National Spokesperson) 082 304 7572

Thato Lebyane (Media Enquiries) 078 304 7572