JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - The South African government summoned the US ambassador "to explain his undiplomatic behavior" for the third time since his arrival nine months ago, a State Department official said Wednesday.

Published on: 09/30/2026 - 14:54

US Ambassador Brent Bozell assumed his duties in February, in light of the deterioration of bilateral relations due to a range of issues, from the genocide lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel, an ally of the United States, to US President Donald Trump’s controversial allegations that the white minority (Afrikaners) are being persecuted.

Bozil was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, after a series of interviews with South African media during which he appeared to criticize the government.

A senior Foreign Ministry official told AFP, “He was summoned to explain his undiplomatic behavior,” without specifying what prompted his reprimand.

He added, "This was the third official diplomatic protest since he assumed his duties nine months ago. This is a record number."

Bozell said in an opinion article published Tuesday on the US Embassy’s website, “At this stage, we see that there is no point in continuing a dialogue that does not end and does not lead to any result,” because Washington has “ran out of patience” with South Africa, which, according to him, has not responded adequately to some American demands.

The ambassador wrote that other "demands" for the US government were to make combating crime in rural South Africa a priority, and to expand alternatives to black ownership laws to include the telecommunications and mining sectors.

“We very much hope that the South African government will reconsider this hostile stance,” Bozell added.

The two countries differ on a range of policies, including South Africa's policy to address the stark inequalities that blacks continue to face 30 years after the end of white minority rule.

These policies include laws to empower blacks in the business sector, and others relating to the use and ownership of land, most of which remains in white hands.

On September 16, Washington announced restrictions on granting visas to South African citizens who promote “discrimination based on race, incite violence, or facilitate the expropriation of land without compensation in South Africa,” all of which are contentious issues between the two countries.

Last year, the United States launched a special program to receive thousands of white Afrikaners who say they are victims of persecution in South Africa.

For months, Pretoria has expressed its rejection of the accusations, considering them merely misleading information or biased conclusions regarding policies of affirmative action or access to land, which are policies aimed at addressing inequalities inherited from the colonial era and the apartheid system imposed by the white minority until the early 1990s.

The government summoned Bozel for the first time in March, just three weeks after he took office.

© 2026 AFP

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