Cape Town – Parliament’s International Relations Committee is set to seek answers from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) after US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III was issued a third diplomatic démarche since taking up his post.
According to The Citizen, the committee wants DIRCO to brief it on the circumstances surrounding the latest diplomatic protest and growing tensions between Pretoria and Washington.
The démarche was issued after Bozell was called to DIRCO on 30 September over what the department described as “undiplomatic conduct”.
A senior DIRCO official confirmed the move, saying: “We can confirm that we demarched Ambassador Bozell. The third demarche since he started his duties nine months ago.”
A démarche is a formal diplomatic protest by one government to another.
SABC News reported that DIRCO summoned Bozell over what it described as “undiplomatic conduct”, while stressing that South Africa and the US remained committed to resolving outstanding bilateral issues.
Domestic transformation
The latest development follows a series of interviews and public statements by Bozell concerning Washington’s demands for changes to aspects of South African government policy.
Parliament’s committee is concerned about the ambassador’s public commentary on South Africa’s domestic affairs, EWN reported.
Committee chairperson Supra Mahumapelo said diplomats should respect the laws of their host country and avoid interfering in its internal affairs.
The committee said commentary that undermines decisions of South Africa’s Constitutional Court or questions domestic transformation policies was incompatible with diplomatic norms.
“We reaffirm South Africa’s commitment to international law, multilateralism and non-racialism as enshrined in our Constitution,” Mahumapelo said, according to a Parliament statement.
The US State Department, however, said Bozell had gone to DIRCO to discuss bilateral relations.
Broader tensions
“We are not interested in diplomatic manoeuvring, procedural delays or dialogue for dialogue’s sake,” a State Department spokesperson told Reuters.
The latest dispute comes amid broader tensions between Pretoria and Washington over issues including land policy, B-BBEE, rural crime and South Africa’s foreign policy.
Business Day reported that despite the diplomatic tensions, the South African government says it intends to keep dialogue with Washington open.
DIRCO has maintained that both countries remain committed to resolving outstanding matters, with the department saying: “The issues related to the bilateral relations between the two countries are a subject of ongoing discussions.”
Parliament is expected to receive a full briefing from DIRCO before determining its next steps.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
