US ambassador Bozell sidesteps ‘white genocide’ question, says ‘Kill the Boer is wrong’
· Citizen
US Ambassador to South Africa Brent Bozell sidestepped a question about white genocide in South Africa, saying there were “issues” but that he was not willing to comment.
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Bozell met President Cyril Ramaphosa for the first time on Wednesday during the credentials ceremony held at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria.
Ramaphosa received letters of credence from heads of mission‑designate of several countries during the ceremony.
Bozell was nominated by the US President Donald Trump in March 2025 to succeed Reuben Brigety as Washington’s top envoy in Pretoria
White genocide
Speaking to the media after the ceremony, Bozell declined to comment on Trump’s claims of white genocide in South Africa.
“There have been lots of issues, but today I’m not going to talk about them. Today’s the day to celebrate, and it’s a day when I feel very proud as an American to be here.
“My president asked me to come, and I’m focusing on the positive, as I told President Ramaphosa: this is the art of the possible we have to look at.
“There are those who want to sow discord between our two countries. I understand that. I’m not one of them. I’m one who’s trying to find solutions,” Bozell said.
‘Serious issues’
Bozell said that while there are “serious issues” that need to be resolved between the US and South Africa, the United States is looking to invest in the country.
“I’ve already expressed it to your government, which is that the United States is ready to pour money into investments in South Africa. It’s not just the private sector that’s doing it; the government is as well. There are billions upon billions of dollars that we want to invest in this country, but there are issues we have, and the primary one is respect for private property,” Bozell said.
“It’s very difficult for a major corporation to come here and be told it has to surrender 30% of its ownership or some such thing. Having said that, it’s also my belief, and I’ve been very outspoken on this, that South Africa is a different country in the sense that you came out of suffering and a very unequal system where you had nothing.
“Blacks had nothing in this country. As such, I think corporations that come here have an ethical duty, a moral duty, to invest more than just capital into your country, but to invest in the future of your country. I’m all in favour of that,” he said.
Picture: GCISSA sovereignty
Bozell said that while the US does not question anything Pretoria does, if it conflicts with US policy, they will speak up.
“South Africa may do anything it wishes to do. However, we would say, as any nation on the planet would say, that if any policy ever goes against our national interests or national security concerns, that’s when we speak up. So we will be outspoken on those two levels at the same time, as I told the president.
“It’s an extraordinary feat that really hasn’t gotten the recognition it deserves, that your president was the primary author of a constitution, where he went to our Constitution to understand how to make his, how to write his. We have shared values. Do we have differences? Of course we do, that’s okay. Are there shared values? Yes. Are there shared interests? Yes. So I come here looking at the art of the possible. How can you build on those things?
“If we want to be contentious, sure, we could be contentious. If we want a thorough verbal hand grenade, sure, we could do that. But that’s not the goal. The goal is to build a new relationship,” he said.
Respecting the judiciary
Bozell began ruffling feathers in South Africa’s political establishment soon after arriving in the country. Delivering the keynote address at a business conference in Hermanus, Western Cape, last month, Bozell was critical of South Africa’s current policy trajectories, stating that Pretoria’s domestic and foreign policies shaped perceptions among investors and the broader international community.
Last month, Bozell was issued a démarche order over remarks on South Africa’s current policy trajectories.
He made special mention of the ‘Kill the Boer’ chant, declaring it hate speech, and saying he “didn’t care” about the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the matter.
“There was one question that was asked about the ‘kill the Boer’ issue. Look, the position of my country is that that’s wrong, that that is hate speech. The position of the civilised world is that that’s hate speech.
“I have nothing but respect for the judiciary in South Africa. As a matter of fact, I’ll point out that, with all due respect to the other forms of government, it is the one area that is most respected,” Bozell said.
“I believe, in South Africa, from the conversations I’ve had, the greatest respect is for the judiciary. I take nothing away from that. I will say that judges can be wrong. American judges are wrong all the time. It doesn’t mean I have no respect for the judicial system.
“I have complete respect for the American judiciary system. So I’ve done that. Some people choose to say things afterwards. I read in your media, and some of you folks were responsible for this. Some of the most extraordinary things I never said. You know, politics sometimes is hard,” he said.
‘Kill the Boer’
In March 2025, AfriForum suffered a final blow in its attempt to have the controversial chant “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer” declared as hate speech.
The Constitutional Court (ConCourt) delivered a brief ruling dismissing AfriForum’s application for leave to appeal.
The Apex concluded that the application “bears no reasonable prospects of success”.
The ruling came after Ramaphosa was urged to take action against EFF leader Julius Malema for singing Dubul’ iBhunu at a Human Rights Day rally in Sharpeville.
In 2022, the Equality Court ruled that the anti-apartheid chant does not constitute hate speech or incitement to violence.
The court found that the song is protected under South Africa’s free speech laws and is a political statement, not a direct call for violence.
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) also dismissed AfriForum’s appeal in 2024.
With the ConCourt’s decision not to hear the case, the legal proceedings seemingly came to an end.
US-SA relationship
Bozell said he believes his role as US ambassador to South Africa will improve relations between the two countries.
“If I thought that these issues couldn’t be resolved, I would have retired. I told President Trump I wanted to retire. He said, ‘No, you’ve got to do this.’ He also believes that we can turn our situation around and not only that, but build a new partnership based on shared values and shared self‑interest that both of our countries have,” Bozell said.
“I’ve been making the statement everywhere I go that we are a country that believes we should be America first. I want South Africa to respond with South Africa first.
“We’re talking about South African exceptionalism, because when you do that, then there’s mutual respect. And when there’s mutual respect, that’s where understandings begin, and where understandings begin, new partnerships evolve. That’s where we want to go. So the question is, do I believe something can happen? Absolutely, I do. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” Bozell said.
Tensions
The deterioration of relations between South Africa and the US escalated after Trump signed an executive order suspending US aid to South Africa and announcing a refugee programme targeting Afrikaners.
South Africa has not had an ambassador in Washington since the Trump administration expelled Ebrahim Rasool in March 2025, declaring him persona non grata and giving him just a week to leave the US over his comments about the administration.
The Trump administration has also repeatedly accused South Africa of conducting what it has termed a “white genocide” against Afrikaners – claims strongly rejected by the South African government.
Further signalling the diplomatic rift, the US largely abstained from participating in G20 activities hosted by South Africa this year.
Trump has also publicly stated that South Africa would not be welcome in the US for G20-related events scheduled for 2026.