US ambassador Bozell called in to explain his remarks

South Africa has issued a demarche, a formal diplomatic rebuke, to US ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III less than a month after he set foot in the country, with political tensions between the two countries escalating.

The government reprimanded Bozel over his remarks regarding various South African policy positions, including BEE and land expropriation, calling his remarks undiplomatic.

Bozell was called in by officials at the department of international relations & co-operation on Wednesday and was asked to explain his remarks during a conference in Hermanus.

Among other things, Bozell said the US was running out of patience with South Africa over clashing foreign and domestic policy positions. This, he said, could lead to large US corporations divesting from the country.

The US ambassador, however, seemingly backtracked on his comments on the courts, taking to his official account on X to say he respects the independence of the South Africa’s judiciary. He had previously said he does not care that the South African courts had ruled the “Kill the Boer” chant did not constitute hate speech.

“We called in the ambassador of the US … to explain his undiplomatic remarks. And in his engagements and visits to various sites in South Africa including the Apartheid Museum, District Six, and other historical places, minister Ronald Lamola told journalists on Wednesday.

“We reiterate that broad-based black empowerment is not reverse racism. It is a fundamental instrument designed to address the structural imbalances of South Africa as a nation. It is a constitution that the South African government can and will never abandon.

“We will continue to monitor his comments and act appropriately if there is no improvement [in his conduct].”

Lamola said he took “a dim view” of Bozell’s remarks.

Relations between Pretoria and Washington have been strained since US President Donald Trump reclaimed the presidency in January 2025. Trump has falsely accused South Africa of subjecting white farmers to a genocide and has criticised its ties with Iran and Hamas.

Bozell, a figure of the American right and founder of the Media Research Centre, told US senators during his confirmation hearing that he would communicate objections to South Africa’s geostrategic drift, citing its relations with Russia, China and Iran.

He also said he would promote Trump’s offer of refugee status to white Afrikaners, repeating unfounded claims that white South Africans are victims of discrimination or “genocide”.

Bozell presented his letters of credence to the government in February and has assumed official duties. South Africa has not had an ambassador in Washington since early 2025 when envoy Ebrahim Rasool was expelled after publicly criticising Trump.

Bozell is also a fierce supporter of Israel, a position that puts him on a direct collision course with the South African government, which has brought a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Zane Dangor, director-general of the department of international relations & co-operation, told journalists that Bozell had apologised for his remarks when he was called in to explain.

Lamola added that South Africa values its bilateral and trade relationship with the US despite the ambassador’s remarks.

“Approximately 500 US companies operate in full compliance with our domestic laws including assisting us to address historical injustice through legislative BEE-equivalent programmes,” Lamola said.

“South Africa’s non-alignment does not entail a preference for any geopolitical group. Rather, it represents our ability to engage all international partners and take positions on a case-by-case basis, guided by our human rights output and international law. We remain steadfast in our resistance to being grown into great power constellations, prioritising instead a global governance system that is fair and just.”