South Africa has rebuked remarks attributed to the United States (US) ambassador, with the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) reaffirming that the country’s foreign policy is “anchored in non‑alignment” and will not be dictated by external pressure.

Dirco was responding to a series of posts by Leo Brent Bozell III on X about Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s visit to China and Deputy International Relations Minister Thandi Moraka‘s hosting of her Iranian counterpart, Dr Saeed Khatibzadeh, for talks in Pretoria.

Mashatile is attending the China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) at the Shunyi Exhibition Centre in Beijing.

China and Iran’s alignment

US President Donald Trump’s pick for ambassador arrived in the country earlier this year to officially take up his post amid simmering tensions between the two countries.

“The government of South Africa rolls out the red carpet for Iran’s deputy foreign minister, while Deputy President Mashatile is in Beijing deepening ties with China. Pretoria calls this ‘non-alignment’. We call it what it is: a choice. The South African people deserve an honest conversation about who their government is choosing to stand with. #NotSoNonAligned,” said Bozell.

“Deputy President Mashatile in Beijing. Iran’s deputy FM in Pretoria. Same week. South Africa can’t claim the mantle of non-alignment while actively courting America’s adversaries. These are choices, and they speak for themselves.”

‘Independent policy’

Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said the department has taken note of Bozell’s posts.

“While the South African government does not engage in public disputes with resident envoys, these remarks necessitate a clear reaffirmation of our guiding principles.”

Phiri said that as a sovereign nation, South Africa “pursues an independent foreign policy firmly anchored in the principle of non-alignment”.

“Non-alignment must not be conflated with neutrality; we refuse to be drawn into geopolitical contestations or be pressured to take sides; instead, we prioritise inclusive dialogue, global peace and our own national interests.

“Accordingly, we reserve the right to cultivate bilateral relations across the global spectrum. We note the inherent contradiction in being publicly scrutinised for engaging Iran and China, the very same states with which the United States itself continues to actively interact,” Phiri said.

Diplomatic relations

Phiri added that South Africa remains committed to utilising established diplomatic channels to engage the United States and “trusts that such protocols will be mutually upheld moving forward”.

Diplomatic relations between South Africa and the US deteriorated after Trump took office last year for a second term, accusing Pretoria of enabling “white genocide”, and by citing farm killings – a claim rejected by South African civil society and international observers.

Trump also abstained from the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit hosted by South Africa, where Ramaphosa was supposed to hand over the summit’s presidency to Trump.

Earlier this year, the US pressured France into disinviting Ramaphosa from the G7 Summit.

South Africa has not had an ambassador in Washington since the Trump administration expelled Ebrahim Rasool in March 2025, declaring him persona non grata and giving him just a week to leave the US over his comments about the administration.