South Africa summons US Ambassador Bozell over criticism of government — Daily Maverick
In South Africa, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation summoned US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III over his public criticism of the country’s government over the past two weeks. The diplomat was issued a demarche — a form of official diplomatic protest that usually involves summoning an ambassador to the foreign ministry.
As Daily Maverick reports, this is the second demarche issued to Bozell in recent months. In March, he was summoned after a statement concerning the slogan “Kill the Boer,” which South African courts recognized as protected expression. The ambassador then called the slogan hate speech.
Differences over domestic policy
The current summons, according to the publication, is connected to a series of comments by Bozell in South African media. He criticized the government’s response to US President Donald Trump’s August 27 appeal to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. In it, Washington asked to be informed how South Africa was responding to five domestic policy issues to which the United States objects.
Among the US demands are, at a minimum, exempting US companies from the rules of the Black economic empowerment policy, abolishing expropriation without compensation, condemning the “Kill the Boer” slogan, properly responding to farm murders, and not interfering with the US program granting refugee status to white Afrikaners. Washington believes these people are persecuted on racial grounds.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Pretoria’s response and the US position
Ramaphosa sent a response to Trump on September 12. In the letter, he reported what Pretoria considers significant progress in meeting US demands. His international policy adviser, Alistair Ruiters, said that Bozell acknowledged two points: South Africa does not obstruct the refugee program, and expropriation without compensation is being challenged in court.
Ruiters also noted that the South African president announced a review of the Black economic empowerment policy, signed a law on preventing crimes and hate speech, and is implementing a nationwide rural security strategy.
On September 15, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new visa restriction policy for unnamed South African citizens responsible for implementing policies that Washington does not approve of. A US official confirmed that the ambassador had been summoned and said that the United States expects the South African government to outline its preferred format for bilateral relations and respond to Trump’s executive order.
