South Africa has summoned US Ambassador Brent Bozell for the third time since he took up his post nine months ago, accusing the American diplomat of “undiplomatic conduct” as tensions between Pretoria and Washington continue to escalate.
Bozell was called to South Africa’s foreign ministry on Tuesday, September 29, the same day he published an opinion article accusing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government of hostility towards the United States.
A senior South African foreign ministry official said Bozell had been summoned to explain his conduct but did not identify which particular comments prompted the latest diplomatic protest.
“It was the third demarche since he started his duties nine months ago. This is a record,” the official said.
Relations strained under Trump administration
Bozell, a conservative activist and writer, became ambassador in February against the backdrop of an already difficult relationship between the two governments.
Among the major areas of disagreement are South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, Pretoria’s domestic racial and economic policies and President Donald Trump’s allegations concerning the treatment of white Afrikaners.
The South African government has strongly rejected Trump’s characterisation of the situation facing white farmers, including his use of the term “white genocide”.
Washington subsequently established a programme allowing Afrikaners claiming persecution in South Africa to seek resettlement in the United States.
The Trump administration has also cut assistance to South Africa and previously expelled the country’s ambassador.
US introduces visa restrictions
Tensions increased further in September when Washington announced visa restrictions targeting South Africans it says are involved in promoting race-based discrimination, encouraging violence or facilitating uncompensated land confiscation.
Pretoria disputes the US government’s interpretation of its policies.
South Africa maintains that measures including Black Economic Empowerment and land reform are intended to address racial and economic inequalities inherited from apartheid.
The government has also maintained that decisions concerning those policies fall within South Africa’s sovereign domestic authority.
Bozell says US has ‘run out of patience’
In his September 29 opinion article, Bozell indicated that Washington was becoming increasingly frustrated with negotiations.
“At this point we find it a useless proposition to continue with endless dialogue leading nowhere,” he wrote.
The ambassador said the United States had “run out of patience” because Pretoria had failed to adequately address several issues raised by Washington.
One particularly contentious issue is the anti-apartheid struggle chant “Kill the Boer”.
Washington has called on Ramaphosa to condemn the chant, which critics argue could encourage violence against white Afrikaners.
South African courts have previously ruled that its use, when considered in its historical and political context as an anti-apartheid struggle song, does not constitute hate speech.
Bozell has also called for South Africa to make rural crime a priority and expand alternatives to black-equity ownership requirements in industries including telecommunications and mining.
Pretoria says negotiations are continuing
Despite the increasingly hostile public exchanges, South African officials say diplomatic negotiations with Washington have not ended.
A foreign ministry official said disagreements between the two countries remained the subject of continuing discussions and that both governments were committed to resolving outstanding issues.
Bozell has presented a markedly different assessment, accusing Pretoria of failing to seek a constructive relationship.
“The South African government does not want a constructive relationship with the United States,” he wrote, adding that Washington hoped Pretoria would “rethink this hostility”.
The latest summons therefore represents another escalation in one of the most difficult periods in US-South African relations, even as officials from both countries continue diplomatic negotiations behind the scenes.
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