‘America has just so much patience’: US envoy warns SA of more measures

Brent Bozell

Cape Town – US Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III has warned that Washington’s new visa restrictions against certain South Africans are only the first in a series of measures as tensions between the two countries escalate. 

According to The Citizen, Bozell said on Wednesday that the United States had run out of patience with Pretoria and warned that further consequences could follow if the South African government did not address Washington’s concerns. 

“As has been made absolutely clear, the time for endless ‘dialogue’ has run its course. No more. America has just so much patience,” Bozell said. 

“This visa restriction policy is only the first step in a series of escalatory measures that will show America’s firm resolve in this matter.” 

The remarks followed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s announcement on Tuesday of visa restrictions targeting foreign nationals accused of being responsible for or complicit in policies involving race-based discrimination, uncompensated land seizures or the incitement of imminent violence against minority ethnic or racial groups in South Africa.

Bozell said Washington wanted “strong, and lasting relations” with South Africa but claimed Pretoria had so far shown little interest in achieving that. 

“As a result, the consequences, as I’ve attempted time and again to express, are necessarily going to be severe,” he said. 

Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela pushed back against Bozell’s remarks, arguing that his assessment did not reflect the realities of South Africa. 

“With due respect, Your Excellency, I would have hoped that through your engagements since arriving in South Africa you have realised that this is not true,” Madonsela said in a post on X. 

She argued that crime and inequality affect South Africans across racial groups, while pointing to the historical impact of apartheid and colonial-era policies. 

“Crime affects all and disproportionately affects black South Africans, particularly Africans, due to their positioning at the bottom of South Africa’s pyramid-structured economy and social system,” Madonsela said. 

She also referred to the recent killings of women in Ekurhuleni, saying: “You must be aware that right now, eight African women have been murdered by what appears to be a serial killer.” 

Madonsela further argued that racial and economic inequality could not be addressed without measures aimed at repairing the effects of historical dispossession. 

The latest dispute comes amid a broader deterioration in US-South Africa relations since US President Donald Trump returned to office. 

The Trump administration has repeatedly accused South Africa of discriminating against white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners, while Pretoria has rejected claims of systematic persecution or “white genocide”. 

According to The Guardian, the US has also criticised South Africa’s land reform policies, including legislation allowing land to be expropriated without compensation in certain circumstances.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) responded to the latest visa restrictions on Wednesday, saying Washington had misrepresented the country’s domestic policies. 

“Challenges in our bilateral relations with the USA can only be resolved by constructive engagement through state actors on both sides of the diplomatic channel, not unilateral acts,” Minister Ronald Lamola. 

Lamola also said it was South Africa’s sovereign right to introduce laws aimed at addressing the effects of historical racial injustice. 

The identities of people who could be affected by the new US visa restrictions have not been disclosed. 

The latest exchange adds to mounting pressure on Pretoria as both governments continue to defend their positions on race, land reform and the future of bilateral relations. 

Picture: X/@PresidencyZA

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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi

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