Washington cannot dictate to Pretoria how to deal with domestic issues, Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola has said
South Africa has summoned new US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III over what the government called “undiplomatic remarks,” amid broader strains in ties between Pretoria and Washington.
Bozell, who arrived in Pretoria last month, criticized a South African court ruling that found the anti-apartheid chant ‘Kill the Boer’ was not hate speech.
“I’m sorry, I don’t care what your courts say. It’s hate speech,” Bozell said in a speech at a business conference in the coastal town of Hermanus on Tuesday.
He also questioned South Africa’s policies, including those aimed at addressing historic injustice, and highlighted five issues he said needed fixing. He said Washington has urged Pretoria to be non-aligned and to reevaluate its land expropriation law and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) program.
US President Donald Trump and senior administration officials have criticized South Africa’s domestic and foreign policies, including a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. They have also repeatedly accused the South African government of failing to align with Washington on key international issues and of permitting “genocide” against white citizens – which Pretoria has dismissed as misinformation.
The Trump administration has also cut aid to South Africa, citing the land expropriation law that it says discriminates against Afrikaners, as well as Pretoria’s alleged close ties with Iran, Russia, and China.
Trump has repeatedly labeled BRICS countries “anti-American,” although the group of emerging economies says it does not see itself as competing with or countering any other bloc.
On Monday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva urged South Africa to boost defense cooperation and reduce reliance on foreign arms, warning that the two nations could be vulnerable to “invasion.”
What has South Africa said?
In response to Bozell’s comments, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told reporters on Wednesday that the envoy had been called in to explain his statements, which Pretoria regards as an attack on the country’s judiciary and history.
The minister said that while Pretoria values its ties with Washington, it “cannot tell President Trump how to deal with localization in the US.”
“He [Trump] also can’t tell us how to deal with our domestic issues of sovereignty,” Lamola stated.
The US envoy later explained on X that his comments about ‘Kill the Boer’ reflect a personal view. “The US government respects the independence and findings of South Africa’s judiciary,” he added.
South African Foreign Ministry Director-General Zane Dangor also said the ambassador has “apologized and expressed regret.”
However, South African radical left-wing party Economic Freedom Fighters has issued a statement, saying Bozell’s “offensive remarks” warrant his expulsion from Pretoria.
Washington expelled South Africa’s ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, last March after he criticized Trump administration policies.