The United States’ Ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, recently stated that Washington’s patience with Pretoria is nearing its limit.
Frustration from the U.S. stems from what it sees as South Africa’s slow response to a number of American requests aimed at improving bilateral relations.
Bozell noted that the country has yet to act on several demands presented by Washington, despite repeated follow-ups.
He remarked, “As I’ve made clear in meetings I’ve had, the U.S. is running out of patience. We believe more and more it becomes a statement by the South African government when it doesn’t want to respond to simple questions we have.”
Since Donald Trump assumed office for his second term, relations with South Africa have been marked by disputes, boycotts, migration concerns, and the imposition of tariffs.
The U.S.’s current grievances focus on South Africa’s reluctance to condemn the “Kill the Boer” chant, reconsider its Expropriation Act, implement aspects of black economic empowerment, remain non-aligned, and prioritize investigations into farm killings affecting white farmers.
Bozell also criticized remarks by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, noting that the country’s condolences to Iran following the death of Ali Khamenei amid U.S.-Israeli strikes were ill-timed. “Insulting our president on the eve of coming to our country is not a good sign. Sending condolence letters to Iran… is not a good sign,” he said.
The ambassador confirmed that Washington has presented five formal requests to the South African government and has been waiting nearly a year for responses. Among them, the U.S. reportedly wants South Africa to withdraw from BRICS and halt legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
On the “Kill the Boer” chant, Bozell emphasized that the U.S. views it as hate speech. “I’m sorry, I don’t care what your courts say. It’s hate speech,” he declared.
He encouraged South Africa’s business community to speak openly about policies that concern them. “I don’t want to hear businesses say one thing publicly and another thing privately… There has to be that kind of outspokenness,” he said.
Bozell warned that the situation may be approaching a critical moment, stating, “I think we are at perhaps an existential moment that none of us wanted… Things were going very well, but things have gone off course.”
The “Kill the Boer” chant originated as an anti-apartheid resistance song, Dubul’ ibhunu, meaning “Kill the Boer” in Zulu. Historically, “Boer” referred to white Afrikaner settlers associated with the apartheid regime.
Today, the chant remains controversial in South Africa and has been revived at political events by leaders such as Julius Malema, head of the Economic Freedom Fighters.