South Africa Summons U.S. Envoy Over Controversial Remarks

South Africa has summoned the United States ambassador to explain what officials described as “undiplomatic remarks,” highlighting growing diplomatic friction between Pretoria and Washington over race relations, domestic policies and public statements by American officials.

Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed his post in late February, had been formally called in to respond to comments made during public appearances and speeches.

“We have called in the ambassador of the United States, Ambassador Bozell, to explain his undiplomatic remarks,” Lamola said.

Lamolla later announced the Ambassador has apologized for his remarks and will be announcing his apology via mission social media outlets.

The move follows a series of disputes between the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa, including disagreements over crime, race policies and refugee decisions.

Tensions have intensified amid claims from the Trump administration that white Afrikaners face persecution in South Africa.

Pretoria has strongly rejected the allegation, saying crime affects all communities and noting that Black South Africans experience higher crime rates.

The US government has also granted refugee status to white Afrikaners, citing alleged “illegal or unjust discrimination,” while pausing resettlement programs for most other refugee groups, in a move that was criticized by global rights groups as racist.

In addition, Washington imposed 30 percent tariffs on South African imports last year, though a court ruling later rendered the measure invalid.

The issue became particularly visible during a May Oval Office meeting last year, when Trump confronted Ramaphosa with images and videos he said showed violence against Afrikaners.

Subsequent analyses found that some of those images had been misrepresented and depicted incidents outside South Africa.

The latest dispute was triggered by comments Bozell made during his first public appearance as ambassador at a meeting of business leaders. During the event, he referred to the controversial chant “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer,” which originated during the struggle against apartheid.

South African courts have ruled that the chant does not constitute hate speech and should be understood within the historical context of resistance to white-minority rule that ended in 1994. Bozell openly challenged that interpretation.

“I’m sorry, I don’t care what your courts say. It’s hate speech,” he said.

The ambassador later clarified his position in a post on X, stating that the remark represented his personal opinion. He added that “the US government respects the independence and findings of South Africa’s judiciary.”

Lamola rejected Bozell’s criticism of the country’s economic transformation policies, including Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE).

“Broad-based Black economic empowerment is not reverse racism, as regrettably insinuated by the ambassador,” Lamola said.

He described the policy as a constitutional measure intended to address inequalities created during the apartheid era. Lamola also warned that the ambassador’s remarks risk reopening racial divisions.

“He must not take us back to a polarised society along racial lines,” he said.

His past comments have also attracted scrutiny. In 1990, his organization criticized media coverage of Nelson Mandela during Mandela’s visit to the United States after his release from prison.

During a Senate confirmation hearing in October, Bozell was questioned about the statement and said that Mandela had at the time been “aligned with the Soviet Union.” He added that he now has “the most respect for” Mandela.

Bozell’s appointment itself has been seen by some observers as contributing to the strained relationship between the two governments.

Diplomatic tensions involving US ambassadors have surfaced in other countries as well.