{"id":856535,"date":"2026-04-10T09:08:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T07:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=856535"},"modified":"2026-04-10T10:08:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:08:36","slug":"ramaphosa-responds-to-united-states-plan-to-open-the-floodgates-for-american-companies-to-enter-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/856535\/ramaphosa-responds-to-united-states-plan-to-open-the-floodgates-for-american-companies-to-enter-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Ramaphosa responds to plan to open the floodgates for American companies to enter South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signalled a push to reset strained ties with the US, backing plans by Washington\u2019s new envoy to boost America\u2019s corporate presence in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has also welcomed \u201cpositive signals\u201d on trade relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remarks, made at the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa on Thursday (9 April), come a day after Ramaphosa accepted the credentials of US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a move that may help steady relations between Pretoria and Washington after a period of diplomatic friction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI understand that the Ambassador wants to double the number of US companies operating in South Africa,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is an ambition that we wholeheartedly support and that we hope to work together to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bozell stated in an address at the BizNews Conference in March<\/strong><\/a> that the United States wants to invest and double the number of US companies and employees in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are more than 600 American companies operating in South Africa and employing more than 250,000 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe United States values partners in South Africa. This country is Africa\u2019s largest economy, and it\u2019s the largest US trade and investment partner in sub-Saharan Africa,\u201d Bozell said at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed to several recent investments by major US technology companies as examples of the strong commercial relationship already in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He cited investments by companies such as Visa, Google Cloud, Microsoft, and Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visa recently launched its first data centre in Johannesburg, with a R1 billion investment planned over three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google Cloud has also established its first African cloud region in Johannesburg as part of a major investment in the country\u2019s digital transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Microsoft is expanding its cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMicrosoft is investing an additional R5 billion by 2027 to expand cloud and AI infrastructure here, building on more than R16 billion already invested,\u201d Bozell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re proof that American companies bring capital, high standards, cutting-edge technology, workforce development, and long-term commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Bozell also stressed that “partnerships must be rooted in reciprocity,\u201d flagging concerns about issues affecting investor confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These include\u00a0matters such as the business environment, rural safety, the country\u2019s expropriation policies, and South Africa\u2019s geopolitical alignments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Bozell, such factors directly influence how companies evaluate investment decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mending bridges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
US Ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. [Photo: The Presidency]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ramaphosa\u2019s conciliatory tone signalled renewed efforts to rebuild both economic and diplomatic ties with one of South Africa\u2019s largest trading partners and sources of foreign direct investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecently we have had several positive signals from the United States,\u201d the president said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that South Africa was speaking with US lawmakers and trade officials, including discussions around the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a key preferential trade program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relations between Pretoria and Washington have been chilly since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tensions have been flaring over false claims that South Africa was subjecting white farmers to a genocide and seizing their land. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lack of a South African ambassador to Washington, following the expulsion of its previous envoy, has added to the uncertainty around bilateral ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we continue the work to strengthen economic ties, we are committed to rebuilding political and diplomatic relations between our two countries,\u201d Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also pointed to growing cooperation in strategic sectors such as critical minerals, which are increasingly central to global supply chains and US industrial policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also highlighted domestic reforms aimed at improving South Africa\u2019s investment appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0S’thembile Cele for Bloomberg News, additional reporting by BusinessTech<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Cyril Ramaphosa has backed plans to boost America\u2019s corporate presence in SA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":814826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[25164,12501,853,10022],"class_list":["post-856535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","tag-bozell","tag-ramaphosa","tag-south-africa","tag-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=856535"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":856552,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856535\/revisions\/856552"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/814826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=856535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=856535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}