US ambassador Bozell demarched by SA government

The seemingly endless spat between South Africa and the US took another bad turn on Tuesday when Pretoria “demarched” US ambassador Leo Brent Bozell for his criticism of the SA government over the past two weeks.

The US is clearly unrepentant, as a US official confirmed the demarche but repeated US demands that South Africa must address several domestic policies the US does not like.

A demarche is a strong diplomatic reprimand, usually involving a foreign ambassador being summoned to the ministry of foreign affairs to be scolded for his or her behaviour.

It was the second demarche on Bozell in recent months. He was previously demarched in March, soon after his arrival, for saying he didn’t care that the South African courts had deemed the Kill the Boer struggle chant to be protected speech. He had told a conference he regarded the chant as hate speech.

Media statements

In this case, Bozell was summoned to the Department of International Relations to be told off about his many recent remarks in the South African media sharply critical of the South African government.

The demarche on Tuesday appeared to be related to the series of recent media statements, basically critical of the South African government’s response to President Trump’s message to Ramaphosa on 27 August, asking for an update on how SA was addressing US demands on five domestic policy issues.

The US wants US companies at least to be exempt from black economic empowerment, wants expropriation without compensation scrapped, wants the government to condemn the Kill the Boer chant, demands farm murders be properly addressed and that Pretoria should not interfere with Trump’s programme offering refugees status to white Afrikaners supposedly being persecuted on racial grounds.

Ramaphosa’s response

President Ramaphosa responded in a letter to Trump, delivered to the US government on 12 September, in which he reported what Pretoria regarded as considerable progress in meeting the US demands.

His international policy adviser Alistair Ruiters told Daily Maverick that even Bozell had acknowledged that South Africa had addressed two of these – because it was not interfering in the refugee programme and that expropriation without compensation was being challenged in the courts.

Ruiters also noted that Ramaphosa was addressing the other demands. He had announced a review of black economic empowerment, had signed the Preventing and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Act and was implementing a rural security strategy across the country to address farm murders.

‘Not enough’

But the US clearly thought he was not doing enough, because on 15 September, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new policy of visa restrictions – targeted travel bans – on unnamed South Africans responsible for implementing the policies the US did not like.

Bozell warned on X that further measures would follow if South Africa did not immediately address the issues. He then conducted a media blitz in which he elaborated on America’s grievances. This is what irritated Dirco and prompted the demarche, according to South African officials quoted anonymously by News24.

A US government official confirmed to Daily Maverick the demarche on Bozell.

“Ambassador Bozell was ‘called in’ by Dirco to discuss the bilateral relationship,” the official said. He stressed that the United States had been clear about the relationship the US sought.

“We are not interested in diplomatic manoeuvring, procedural delays, or dialogue for dialogue’s sake. The ball is now squarely in the Government of South Africa’s court to outline the relationship it wants with the United States and respond accordingly to President Trump’s executive order.” DM