South Africa summoned the newly appointed U.S. ambassador Brent Bozell on Wednesday to explain what Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola described as “undiplomatic remarks” regarding the country’s racial policies and court rulings.
Bozell, a conservative envoy who assumed his post last month amid already tense bilateral ties, sparked controversy after labeling the apartheid-era chant “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer” as hate speech and criticizing policies designed to empower black South Africans. The remarks echo former President Donald Trump’s repeated, unsubstantiated claims of white Afrikaner persecution.
“We have called in the ambassador of the United States to explain his undiplomatic remarks,” Lamola told journalists, stressing that South African courts have consistently ruled the chant does not constitute hate speech and should be viewed in the historical context of the anti-apartheid struggle.
On Wednesday, Bozell appeared to backtrack slightly on X, stating, “While my personal view like that of many South Africans is that ‘Kill the Boer’ constitutes hate speech, the U.S. government respects the independence and findings of South Africa’s judiciary.”
Bozell also criticized South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policies, warning they could deter investment and suggesting, without evidence, that current policies mirrored apartheid-era racial laws. Lamola responded firmly: “We reiterate that broad-based Black Economic Empowerment is not reverse racism, as regrettably insinuated by the ambassador. It is a fundamental instrument designed to address the structural imbalances of South Africa’s unique history and a constitutional imperative the government will never abandon.”
The U.S. envoy, founder of the conservative Media Research Center, has a history of right-wing activism. At his Senate confirmation hearing in October, he defended prior criticisms of Nelson Mandela, noting the African National Congress’ Cold War-era alignment with the Soviet Union, though he said he holds “the most respect” for Mandela today.
Bozell’s portfolio also reportedly includes urging Pretoria to halt its genocide case against Israel and promoting Trump’s offer of refugee status to the white Afrikaner minority. His familial ties to American politics are controversial: his son, Leo Brent Bozell IV, was among nearly 1,600 individuals convicted for involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol assault, later pardoned by Trump.
Lamola emphasized that Bozell “must not take us back to a polarised society along racial lines. His role as a guest is to support us in building one nation.”
The diplomatic summons underscores the sensitivity surrounding South Africa’s racial reconciliation policies and the careful balance the government maintains in responding to foreign criticism of its constitutional and historical imperatives.
