PICS | ‘I can’t fathom it’: US ambassador on Mandela’s Robben Island years

Cape Town – US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell says his visit to Robben Island left a profound impact, as he reflected on the years Nelson Mandela spent imprisoned there.

Bozell toured the historic prison alongside struggle veteran Tokyo Sexwale, who himself spent more than a decade on the island.

The visit was aimed at giving the ambassador a deeper, first-hand understanding of South Africa’s liberation struggle and the harsh realities faced by political prisoners under apartheid.

We had the honour of welcoming the U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, along with distinguished guests, to Robben Island 🇿🇦

Guided by struggle veteran Tokyo Sexwale, the visit reflected on our history and journey to freedom. pic.twitter.com/SVqOZ8KjYW

— Robben Island Museum (@robben_island) April 19, 2026

Describing the experience as difficult to fully comprehend, Bozell said walking through the site highlighted the immense sacrifices made in the fight for freedom, eNCA reported.

He added that, despite having read about Mandela’s imprisonment, witnessing the conditions in person was far more powerful.

“On the one hand, you can say it’s what I expected. I read the book. Nelson Mandela went to great lengths to describe it. But then you are walking in the footsteps of these men, and you’re trying to, as I told Tokyo, you’re trying to fathom what it was like to be there for years, and years and years. And I can’t fathom that. If you weren’t there, you can’t understand it, and I don’t pretend to understand it,” Bozell said.

[EXCLUSIVE] US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell has expressed how deeply he was moved when he visited Nelson Mandela’s Robben Island cell. Bozell was a guest of struggle stalwart Tokyo Sexwale for the ambassador to gain better understanding of South Africa’s hard-fought freedom.…

— eNCA (@eNCA) April 19, 2026

According to Edge Magazine, the visit forms part of Bozell’s broader efforts to engage with South Africa’s political and historical landscape since taking up his post earlier this year, including visits to key heritage sites such as the Apartheid Museum.

It also comes as Washington and Pretoria seek to strengthen bilateral relations.

Bozell also addressed previous remarks attributed to him, saying they had been taken out of context. He explained that during the Cold War, global politics were divided between the Soviet Union and the West, and that the African National Congress’s alignment with the Soviet Union at the time positioned it as an adversary of the United States.

He noted that this dynamic shifted after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which changed how the ANC was viewed internationally.

Bozell is expected to return to the United States to brief officials on his first months serving in South Africa, as diplomatic engagements between the two countries continue to evolve.