By Akani Nkuna
US ambassador to South Africa Brent Bozell III has been démarched and summoned by government to explain what it described as undiplomatic public remarks about the country’s policies.
The move follows comments Bozell made at the BizNews Conference in Hermanus in the Western Cape.
Bozell, who has been in South Africa in his official capacity for three-and-a-half weeks, said the US had raised concerns about South Africa’s Expropriation Act and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) policies but had not received a response from the government.
Speaking to reporters at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) offices in Pretoria, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola described the remarks as unacceptable.
Lamola urged the ambassador to refrain from comments that sought to sow division, undermine South Africa’s sovereignty, or cast aspersions on the country’s history, stressing that diplomatic etiquette should remain the primary mode of engagement.
“The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has noted recent remarks by the United States Ambassador to South Africa,” Lamola said.
“We have called in the Ambassador of the United States to explain his undiplomatic remarks and to undertake visits to various historical sites in South Africa, including the Apartheid Museum and District Six, and other places of historical significance.”
He added: “In the engagement, he acknowledged that given our history, South Africa requires redress and that he is willing to work with us constructively in this regard. South Africa has consistently affirmed that the US is a vital strategic partner for our economy and on geopolitical issues, particularly on peace and security across the world.”
Lamola rejected suggestions that relations between the two countries were not mutually beneficial, noting that both nations derive significant economic value from their partnership.
He said South Africa is among the largest importers of US products on the continent, with bilateral trade between the two countries valued at about $15 billion, underscoring the mutual importance of the relationship.
However, he warned that strong economic ties do not give either country licence to infringe on the other’s sovereignty.
“As we cannot tell Donald Trump how to deal with localisation in the US, Ambassador Bozell also cannot tell us how to deal with our domestic issues of sovereignty,” Lamola said.
“South Africa remains committed to the rule of law, and the Expropriation Act No. 13 of 2024 is not intended to undermine property rights.”
Lamola emphasised that the government has a mandate to address historic economic disparities — particularly those affecting Black South Africans — by enabling broader economic participation through BBBEE.
“We reiterate that BBBEE is not reverse racism, as regrettably insinuated by the Ambassador,” Lamola said.
“It is a fundamental instrument designed to address the structural imbalances of South Africa’s unique history. It is a constitutional imperative that the South African government can and will never abandon.”
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