The United States ambassador to South Africa, L. Brent Bozell III, has pushed back against criticism from South African officials, according to businesstech.co.za. The exchange follows a demarche from South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), which the ambassador answered publicly.
Bozell set out his position in an op-ed published by the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in South Africa, the embassy's own platform. EWN reports that the ambassador used that piece to respond directly to DIRCO's demarche. TimesLIVE reports that International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola told Bozell to "get out of the kitchen," a remark aimed at the ambassador's involvement in the dispute.
The back-and-forth has drawn wider commentary in South African media. Business Day carried an opinion piece by Ofentse Davhie arguing that Lamola is making relations with Washington worse. The reporting also links the ambassador's response to President Cyril Ramaphosa, indicating the disagreement now reaches the highest levels of South Africa's government.
The material available does not detail the specific grievances on either side, and no further statements from the parties have been reported here.
What to watch next: whether DIRCO or the presidency issues a formal response to Bozell's op-ed, and whether the two governments move to contain the dispute through diplomatic channels.
