US ambassador criticises govt over Iran stance, domestic policies
America’s ambassador to South Africa has delivered a blunt assessment of relations between the two countries, criticising the South African government over its stance on recent geopolitical developments and several domestic issues.
Speaking at the BizNews conference in Hermanus on Tuesday, Leo Brent Bozell said recent government actions had not helped maintain strong diplomatic relations with Washington.
Bozell said he was particularly concerned about criticism directed at U.S. President Donald Trump following the United States’ military actions against Iran.
"I must be frank with you as the United States ambassador to South Africa, I don’t like what your ANC and government did last week. They can’t just insult my president, Donald Trump, for attacking Iran. The things that have happened in the last week are not at all helpful. Insulting our president on the eve of coming to our country is not a good sign and it does not create a constructive environment for our relationship."
The ambassador also criticised the South African government for sending condolences following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
"I don’t like what South Africa did in sending condolences to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They shouldn’t do that. That man was a terrorist. Sending condolence letters to Iran after one of the world’s greatest terrorists has been put down is not a good sign. These are the kinds of actions that create concern about the direction South Africa is taking internationally."
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Bozell warned that South Africa should avoid aligning itself with countries considered adversaries of the United States.
"There are going to be some tough discussions ahead, but hopefully South Africa will understand that it ought not to be aligning with international pariahs like Iran. South Africa should remain non-aligned and stay away from enemies of the United States."
The ambassador also addressed several domestic issues, including the controversial “Kill the Boer” chant and Black Economic Empowerment policies.
Bozell said the United States views the chant as hate speech, despite local court rulings.
READ MORE: Court overturns SAHRC hate speech finding against Malema
The Constitutional Court dismissed AfriForum's appeal after the Supreme Court of Appeal had ruled that the chant did not constitute hate speech.
"We may not get clarity on the ‘Kill the Boer’ chant that we believe is hate speech. I’m sorry, I don’t care what your court says, it’s hate speech. We believe that there is clarity on issues such as expropriation, but the South African government has to step up and address these concerns."
Bozell also opposed Black Economic Empowerment policies, calling for their scrapping.
Despite the criticism, Bozell said he did not travel to South Africa to provoke conflict with the government.
"I didn’t come here to pick a fight. That just doesn’t accomplish anything. I came here specifically with a tone that was positive in an attempt to lower the temperature and I’m going to continue going in that direction. My goal is to find partners in government and encourage them to be more outspoken so that our countries can come back to the table and move forward."
The ambassador said the United States still sees significant opportunities for partnership with South Africa, particularly in economic development.
"You have great sophistication, you have great innovators and you have the strongest economy in Africa. You also have challenges such as infrastructure and energy, but these are things that can be fixed. Just imagine if they were fixed and there were partnerships with the United States, not China, working together to build South Africa. I would love to see a situation where in five years, we look back and say that the partnership between our countries helped transform opportunities here."
He also urged South Africa’s business community to revive the optimism that characterised the early years of democracy after apartheid.
"If you look back to around 1995, there was a desire for this country not just to heal wounds but to move forward and grow. For a while, that’s exactly what happened. I would encourage the business community to return to that spirit and champion it again rather than getting caught up in divisions."
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