News24 | UPDATE | US ambassador backtracks on ‘Kill the Boer’ comment, now respects SA court ruling

US Ambassador to South Africa Brent Bozell says the US respects South Africa’s judiciary after initially saying he did not “care” about a court ruling that the “Kill the Boer” chant is not hate speech.

• US Ambassador Brent Bozell initially dismissed South Africa’s court ruling on “Kill the Boer” as hate speech.
• Bozell later clarified, respecting South Africa’s judiciary while maintaining his personal view that the chant incites hate.
• Bozell’s comments sparked backlash from South African political figures, including calls for his expulsion by the EFF.

US Ambassador to South Africa Brent Bozell has backtracked on his comments that he does not “care” about the South African court ruling that “Kill the Boer” is not hate speech, saying now that he respects the finding.

Speaking at the BizNews Conference in Hermanus, the Western Cape, on Tuesday, Bozell suggested that the US had “run out of patience” with South Africa for its failure to adhere to its demands regarding some of South Africa’s policy positions.

This, according to him, included “condemning rhetoric that incites hatred or glorifies violence”.

“We may not get clarity on the ‘Kill the Boer’ chant that we believe is hate speech. I am sorry, I don’t care what your courts say, it’s hate speech,” Bozell said at the conference.

However, on Wednesday, he took to X to “clarify” his views.

“I want to clarify that while my personal view – like that of many South Africans – is that ‘Kill the Boer’ constitutes hate speech, the US government respects the independence and findings of South Africa’s judiciary,” Bozell wrote.

News24 reported on Wednesday that following his address at the conference, the EFF called for Bozell to be expelled, and ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula warned the ambassador to toe the line.

In a statement, EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said the comments Bozell made about the court ruling on “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer” were “most disrespectful” for a diplomat.

“Bozell stated that he does not care what our courts say about the struggle song ‘Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer’, and that our government must condemn what our courts correctly characterised as free speech and part of our history in the struggle against racial domination,” he added.

READ | EFF calls for Bozell’s expulsion, while Mbalula says SA won’t be dictated to by the US

The ambassador also drew criticism from former deputy justice minister John Jeffery, who said it appeared that the rule of law only applied when it suited Bozell.

“Accepting court judgments even if you disagree with them is a fundamental part of the rule of law, which he ironically claims is part of the ‘right conditions’. Seems rule of law is only needed if it agrees with you,” wrote Jeffery.

While the Department of International Relations and Cooperation has not publicly commented on Bozell’s remarks, Minister Ronald Lamola will brief the media on Wednesday afternoon on geopolitical developments.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated with additional information.