JOHANNESBURG — Diplomatic tensions between the United States and South Africa have escalated after the country’s foreign minister called in America’s new ambassador to account for his controversial public statements, officials announced Wednesday.
Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III faced official scrutiny following his Tuesday address to a gathering of business executives, where he questioned South Africa’s relationship with Iran and criticized domestic policies promoting opportunities for Black citizens over other racial groups.
The diplomatic relationship between these former allies has deteriorated significantly since Donald Trump resumed the presidency. Current relations have reached their most strained level since apartheid — the system of white minority governance — concluded in 1994. Trump has consistently criticized South Africa’s Black-majority leadership.
Bozell, a conservative political figure selected by Trump, began his duties in Pretoria just last month.
During his initial comprehensive public statements regarding US-South Africa relations since his arrival, Bozell argued that South Africa should modify certain affirmative action policies created to address inequalities stemming from decades of racial separation under apartheid. He drew parallels between these current laws and the discriminatory legislation that oppressed Black South Africans during apartheid.
The ambassador additionally advocated for changes to property legislation that permits the South African government to seize land without providing compensation under specific conditions.
“While South Africa welcomes active public diplomacy and the strengthening of bilateral ties, we emphasize that such engagements must remain consistent with established diplomatic etiquette and international protocols,” Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola stated during a news briefing. “In this regard, we have called in the ambassador of the United States, Ambassador Bozell, to explain his undiplomatic remarks.”
Zane Dangor, the foreign ministry’s director-general, revealed that Bozell held discussions with South African representatives on Tuesday, during which the ambassador “apologized and expressed regret.”
The US government has not yet provided any official response.
Trump’s primary accusation against South Africa’s government centers on his unsubstantiated assertion that white farmers from minority communities face targeted violence and murders. Even certain conservative white Afrikaner organizations have disputed the Trump administration’s allegations.
These claims became the focus of a tense White House encounter between Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last year, highlighting the deteriorating diplomatic relationship.
Bozell did modify one of his earlier statements on Wednesday. During Tuesday’s business leader gathering, he had criticized a South African judicial decision that determined an apartheid-era slogan used by an extreme-left political organization did not constitute hate speech, despite containing the words “kill the Boer.” The term Boer describes white farmers in South Africa.
The Trump administration has labeled this slogan as anti-white hate speech. Bozell reinforced this position Tuesday, stating: “I am sorry, I don’t care what your courts say, it’s hate speech.” However, he clarified on social media Wednesday that his remarks represented his personal opinion and “the U.S. government respects the independence and findings of South Africa’s judiciary.”
The Trump administration has implemented additional unprecedented measures against South Africa — America’s largest African trading partner — including removing its ambassador from Washington last year and excluding South Africa from Group of 20 meetings held in the United States this year.
