Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation has demanded urgent answers from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation after the US ambassador was summoned for the third time in less than nine months.

Committee chairperson Supra Mahumapelo said that lawmakers noted with concern the department’s confirmation that it had issued a third formal diplomatic protest to Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III over what the department described as undiplomatic conduct.

“We reaffirm South Africa’s commitment to international law, multilateralism and non-racialism as enshrined in our Constitution,” Mahumapelo said.

The committee will invite the department to brief lawmakers at the earliest opportunity on the circumstances that led to three démarches since Bozell’s accreditation in April, the impact on bilateral relations and steps being taken to ensure adherence to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Sovereignty and judicial independence at stake

The committee said respect for sovereignty and the judiciary must be maintained at all times, noting that South Africa is a constitutional democracy.

“Public commentary that undermines the decisions of our Constitutional Court and questions domestic transformation policies aimed at redressing apartheid inequalities is incompatible with diplomatic norms,” the committee’s statement read.

The Vienna Convention requires diplomats to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving state and not interfere in its internal affairs. The committee stressed that bilateral disagreements, including concerns around trade, visa restrictions and perceptions of domestic policy, must be raised through established diplomatic channels with the department and not through public media interviews that inflame sentiment.

Third summons in nine months

The department summoned Bozell on 30 September, nine months after he assumed duties in February. The latest protest follows two earlier démarches since his accreditation in April.

The first confirmed incident took place in March after Bozell told a business conference in Hermanus in March that he did not care what South African courts said about the “Kill the Boer” chant and called it hate speech. The department hereafter summoned him, and Bozell apologised for any impression that he had undermined the independence of South Africa’s judiciary.

The department has not publicly specified what conduct prompted the third protest on 30 September.

US visa restrictions heighten tensions

Tensions between Pretoria and Washington escalated in September when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new visa-restriction policy targeting foreign nationals involved in what Washington characterised as race-based discrimination, uncompensated land seizures or incitement of violence in South Africa.

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The department responded that South Africa’s domestic legislation reflected its constitutional obligation to address historical racial injustice and said bilateral problems should be handled through diplomatic channels rather than unilateral measures.

Washington has focused pressure on South Africa’s land and transformation policies, the country’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and the “Kill the Boer” controversy.

Commitment to constructive engagement

The committee said the United States remained an important trade, investment and historical partner for South Africa and supported the government’s continued commitment to constructive engagement and recalibration of relations.

President Cyril Ramaphosa met Bozell at Mahlamba Ndlopfu on 27 August as part of efforts to stabilise the relationship. The committee pointed to this meeting as evidence that Pretoria was pursuing dialogue despite the disputes.

“However, constructive engagement requires mutual respect,” the committee said.

The committee called on all foreign missions accredited to South Africa to uphold the highest standards of diplomatic decorum.

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