The government of South Africa has summoned the new United States ambassador, Brent Bozell, to explain what officials described as “undiplomatic remarks” about the country’s racial policies and court decisions. Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Pretoria requested clarification after Bozell criticized South Africa’s black economic empowerment policies and described the controversial chant “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer” as hate speech. Bozell made the remarks during a meeting with business leaders on Tuesday, saying he disagreed with South African court rulings that the chant—linked to the anti-apartheid struggle does not legally constitute hate speech. South African courts have previously ruled the slogan should be understood in the historical context of resistance to the apartheid regime that ended in 1994.
The ambassador later softened his position in a statement on X, saying that while he personally considers the chant offensive, the U.S. government respects the independence and decisions of South Africa’s judiciary. Lamola rejected Bozell’s criticism of the country’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) policies, which aim to address inequalities created by decades of apartheid. He said the policy is a constitutional tool designed to correct historical imbalances rather than “reverse racism.” Tensions between United States and South Africa have grown in recent years over several issues, including South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that white Afrikaners face persecution in South Africa, an allegation widely disputed by the South African government.
Bozell, a conservative media activist and founder of the Media Research Center, assumed his diplomatic post last month. During his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing, he also indicated he would push Pretoria to drop its case against Israel and support proposals by the Trump administration to offer refugee status to white Afrikaners. The diplomatic dispute highlights growing strains in relations between the two countries as political debates over race, foreign policy and historical narratives continue to intensify.
