NATIONAL NEWS - As tensions between South Africa and the United States (US) continue, a war of words has erupted between US ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III and International Relations minister Ronald Lamola.
The US ambassador accused Lamola of insulting him personally after weekend reports said Lamola told Bozell III he “must get out of the kitchen” if he no longer believes in diplomatic engagement with Pretoria.
Tensions
Tensions between Washington and Pretoria escalated recently after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new visa restrictions targeting foreign nationals accused of involvement in race-based discrimination and uncompensated land seizures in South Africa.
This was followed by criticism from Bozell III, who said the US had “run out of patience” with SA, his démarche and further US criticism over the action against Bozell III.
Lamola said he was “taken aback” by Bozell’s remark that the “time for talking was over” because, as a diplomat, his job is to resolve differences through dialogue.
‘Get out of the kitchen’
If Bozell was “tired” of talking, Lamola added, he ought to “get out of the kitchen”.
“I was taken aback. You can’t have a diplomat who says time for talking is over. It’s our job to talk. So, if you can’t talk as a diplomat and you cannot dialogue… get out of the kitchen,” Lamola told the Sunday Times.
“Yes, he has been involved in very undiplomatic conduct. As a diplomat, you cannot interfere in the domestic politics of your host.”
This, according to Lamola, is the first rule of diplomacy, which he says Bozell has not respected with his posture and public engagements. Lamola added that South Africa is capable of running its own domestic affairs.
Bozell III responds
Bozell III responded on X that speaking out against such remarks results in him being démarched.
“So here we go again. Another Minister Lamola personal insult aimed at an American leader (this time me) which, when denounced (which I’m doing now), will result in a demarche with a lecture about being “undiplomatic.” And then the South African government wonders why relations are collapsing,” Bozell III said.
In a hard-hitting opinion piece last week, titled The Cost of Doing Nothing, Bozell said the new visa restriction policy Rubio announced on 15 September was a direct consequence of Pretoria’s refusal to engage on issues ranging from farm attacks to foreign investment.
SA’s economic lifeline
As the SA government stood by its decisions and policies, stressing sovereignty and alleging US interest in SA minerals, Professor André Thomashausen told The Citizen it may be squandering a rare economic lifeline.
“The real risk is that South Africa is losing an enormous opportunity in economic cooperation. If we forego this chance to fix a disastrously failing economy, where half the adult population is unemployed, it will be a great loss and a misdirection of policy.”
Attacking SA
Shortly after US President Donald Trump took office at the start of 2025, the US pulled aid funding to South Africa, issued an executive order against the country alleging human rights violations, offered refugee status to white “farmers”, and expelled former Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool for his criticism of the Trump administration.
Trump has singled out South Africa on several issues since he returned to the White House, notably making debunked claims of white Afrikaners being systematically “killed and slaughtered” in the country.
He ambushed SA President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office last year, playing a video in which he alleged a campaign against white farmers by the post-apartheid government. The video was later debunked.
Article: Caxton publication, The Citizen
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