Brent Bozell III Backtracks on His “Kill the Boer” Stance

• The new United States ambassador to South Africa, Brent Bozell III, has seemingly changed his approach to the singing of the "Kill the Boer" song
• Bozell recently criticised the song and stated that it was hate speech, even though courts in South Africa declared that it did not constitute hate speech
• However, Bozell expressed the United States government's views on the song, which President Donald Trump had previously criticised

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international politics, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his 10 years of experience.

PRETORIA, GAUTENG — United States ambassador Brent Bozell III has adopted a different stance on the singing of the Kill the Boer chant, which he recently criticised. He shared the United States' view on the song on 11 March 2026.

Bozell posted a short statement on his @USAmbRSA X account, one day after he attended a conference held by BizNews in Hermanus, Western Cape, on 10 March. Bozell said that while his personal view of the song is that it constituted hate speech, the US government respected the independence and findings of South Africa's judiciary, which found that the song did not constitute hate speech.

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View Bozell's statement on X here:

What did Bozell say about South Africa?

Bozell was strongly critical of South Africa during his address at the conference in Hermanus. His comments came after he recently presented his credentials to the Union Buildings following his nomination and appointment as the United States ambassador to South Africa. He suggested that continued US private sector investment in South Africa would depend on the country's policy direction regarding expropriation without compensation and the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment policy.

Bozell also allegedly met with AfriForum. AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel stated that Boell raised concerns about rural violence and uncertainty around property rights. The lobby group said that it would continue to address the concerns it allegedly raised with Bozell.

Bozell's statements about the Kill the Boer song drew sharp criticism from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). The party accused him of threatening South Africa's sovereignty and undermining diplomatic protocol. The EFF, which has been a staunch critic of Bozell since his nomination in March 2025, rejected what it described as external pressure from Washington. It called for his resignation and pointed out that he had no right to undermine South Africa's judiciary.

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SABC News' United States correspondent Sherwin Bryce-Pease said on his @sherwiebp X account that Bozell apologised for his statements and expressed regret. The Department of International Relations' Director-General Zane Dangor added that Bozell reaffirmed his desire to work constructively with the South African government.

Read the tweet on X here:

Brent Bozell slams Ramaphosa's condolences to Iran

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Bozell was critical of President Cyril Ramaphosa's condolences to Iran following the death of its former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, who was killed during an airstrike on 28 February. His death happened on the day the US attacked Iran.

Bozell said that Ramaphosa was not supposed to send the condolences and called Khamenei a great terrorist. He pointed out that the statements did not bode well if South Africa wanted to maintain strong relations with the United States.

Source: Briefly News