South Africa’s foreign affairs ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III on Tuesday, September 29, for what officials described as “undiplomatic conduct,” marking his third formal summons since taking up the post nine months ago.
A senior official at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, known as DIRCO, confirmed the démarche to Reuters but did not disclose the specific conduct that prompted the latest protest. A démarche is a formal diplomatic representation or protest delivered by one government to another.
What is confirmed
Bozell was called to the ministry on Tuesday, and officials described the meeting as the third démarche since he began serving in South Africa in February. Reuters reported the summons on September 30, while AFP separately confirmed it the same day.
The South African official did not give a detailed account of the meeting or identify the exact remarks at issue. The U.S. embassy had not issued a public response when the initial reports were published, and the State Department told Reuters it had received questions and would respond later. Those gaps matter: the confirmed development is the diplomatic protest itself, not a public finding about the ambassador’s conduct.
A relationship under strain
The summons comes amid continuing disputes over South Africa’s domestic racial-equity policies, U.S. visa restrictions announced in mid-September and broader foreign-policy differences. Bozell has used recent interviews to press Washington’s concerns, while Pretoria has said it remains willing to engage but will not compromise its sovereignty or constitutional obligation to address apartheid-era inequality.
In a September 16 statement, DIRCO rejected what it called mischaracterizations of South African policy and reiterated the country’s sovereign right to adopt laws addressing historical injustice. The ministry also called for continued dialogue.
The latest démarche therefore signals an escalation in diplomatic friction, but officials on both sides have said discussions on outstanding bilateral issues remain ongoing.
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Featured image: South African Airways aircraft carrying the colors of the national flag at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport. Photo by Lilishia Gounder on Unsplash. The stock photo is illustrative.