Tension between US and South Africa increases. Ambassador is insulted

“ Malas a personal insult of Minister Lamola addressed to an American leader this time to me, who, being denounced, as I am doing now, will lead to a ‘demarche’ [formal diplomatic protest] in which I will be reprimanded by ‘as little diplomatic’ I am”, Bozell declared on the social media platform X, according to reports from the local press.

The ambassador, who has been in office since February, added: “And then the South African Government wonders why relations are deteriorating.”.

The diplomat was responding to the statements made to the local press last weekend by Lamola, who deplored the “highly rude conduct” of Bozell III and defended the decision taken by the South African Government last week to summon him for the second time since March.

“You can’t have a diplomat saying that the time for talking is over. Talking is our job. So if he cannot speak as a diplomat and cannot dialogue, then he resigns,” said South African Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola.

The minister reiterated that “as a diplomat, he cannot interfere with the domestic politics of the host country”.

“ This is the number one rule of diplomacy,” said the ruler of South Africa, adding that “with his posture and public interventions [Bozell III] is interfering” in the affairs of South Africa.

“ We have already sent him a diplomatic note, we have expressed our discontent with his conduct and we urge him to refrain from this indelicate behaviour,” he added.

A senior official from the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation confirmed last week that Pretoria called Bozell III for the second time after the first call in March.

This second call took place after the US ambassador published an article stating that “the South African government does not want a constructive relationship with the United States.”.

He also defended the recent decision of the Americans to impose visa restrictions on South Africans responsible for “government-sponsored racial motivation crimes” against Afrikaners, South African ethnic group descended from European settlers, mainly the Netherlands, Germany and France.

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, signed an executive order in February 2025 that cut aid to South Africa indefinitely.

Trump took this step after accusing Pretoria to expropriate lands and violate the human rights of Afrikaners, referring to the controversial law enacted by the South African government in 2025 that facilitates the expropriation of land for public use.

In May 2025, the US government offered refugee status to the Afrikaner community, claiming that they were victims of discrimination and even “genocide”, accusations that Pretoria vehemently denies.

Since then, bilateral tensions have continued to increase.