US ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell has been summoned by DIRCO for a second demarche this year. Image credit Supplied
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has summoned US ambassador Bozell for a formal demarche. Notably, this is the second time this year that Pretoria has called in the American envoy. The meeting took place on Monday. It follows a series of media interviews in which Leo Brent Bozell criticised the South African government.
A demarche is a formal diplomatic protest. Usually, a government summons a foreign ambassador to raise objections to that country’s conduct or statements.
Meanwhile, a US government official confirmed that DIRCO had called Bozell in to discuss relations. In addition, both sides said they remain committed to resolving the outstanding issues.
What US ambassador Bozell said in his interviews
In recent interviews, Bozell accused the South African government of rejecting a constructive relationship with Washington. He also said the United States felt not just disappointed but shocked. According to him, Pretoria had stayed silent for nine months.
Furthermore, Bozell warned on X that Washington would take further measures if South Africa ignored its concerns. His comments came shortly after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions on South African officials. Rubio made that announcement on 15 September.
The dispute centres on a list of demands that Washington handed to Pretoria in November 2025. First, the US wants black economic empowerment exemptions for American companies. Second, it wants South Africa to scrap expropriation without compensation. It also wants government to condemn the Kill the Boer chant and act on farm murders. Finally, Washington wants Pretoria to stay out of the US refugee programme for white Afrikaners.
However, Pretoria says it has made progress. In a letter on 12 September, President Cyril Ramaphosa listed several steps. For example, government reviewed its empowerment policies and signed hate speech legislation. It also rolled out a rural safety strategy.
This is not the first clash involving the ambassador. In March, DIRCO issued a demarche after Bozell criticised black economic empowerment and the Expropriation Act. At the same time, he questioned local court rulings during a conference in Hermanus. He later expressed regret over those remarks.
Meanwhile, South Africa remains shut out of this year’s G20 summit in Miami. The United States will host the summit in December.
For now, relations between Pretoria and Washington remain tense. As a result, US ambassador Bozell and DIRCO continue to trade positions on the unresolved demands.
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