By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
US Ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III demarched by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) for the second time on Tuesday, 29 September 2026.
Fullview learnt that Dirco conveyed the démarche earlier today following a series of media interviews in which he criticized the South African government.
Bozell was previously demarched in March 2026 after criticizing local policies like BEE and the Expropriation Act at a Hermanus conference, alongside controversial remarks on local court rulings, though he later expressed regret.
A US government official confirmed Bozell was ‘called in’ to discuss fraught bilateral relations with South Africa, as both countries remain committed to resolving outstanding bilateral issues.
Bozell III accused the South African government of actively rejecting a constructive relationship with Washington.
The diplomatic fallout follows the September 15 announcement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio introducing targeted visa restrictions against South African officials deemed responsible for enabling uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination, or the incitement of violence against minority groups.
In an op-ed, Bozell III revealed that Washington’s patience wore thin after a nine-month period of “formal silence” from Pretoria regarding three core policy requests.
“It is safe to say my government was not just disappointed, it was shocked,” Bozell III stated. “The message was clear: The South African government does not want a constructive relationship with the United States.
According to the Ambassador, the friction followed from a series of diplomatic objectives delivered to Pretoria in November 2025, known as the “Five Asks”.
These objectives built on US President Donald Trump’s February 2025 Executive Order 14204 (Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa), which formally outlined American anxieties regarding rural farm attacks, regulatory hurdles for US investors, and South Africa’s geopolitical alignment with US adversaries.
While Bozell III acknowledged that the first two points had been broadly addressed or paused, negotiations collapsed over the remaining three.
South Africa is awaiting an announcement on which countries will be eligible for the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) in 2027.
Fullview reached out to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) at the time of publishing and their statement will be added once received.