US Ambassador Leo Bozell III Calls on President Cyril Ramaphosa to Condemn Kill the Boer Chant
- United States Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III discussed the five formal diplomatic demands that Washington made to Pretoria
- Bozell also stated that the chant 'Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer' is viewed by the entire world as an incitement to violence
- The US Ambassador also provided an update on how many of the diplomatic demands South Africa had dealt with
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Briefly News as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
GAUTENG — United States Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to publicly denounce the "Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer" chant.
Bozell made the remarks during an exclusive sit-down interview with SABC News on Monday, 21 September 2026, warning that the president's silence on the matter represents a serious diplomatic problem.
Bozell acknowledged that South Africa's highest court had ruled the song was not unconstitutional, describing it as a recollection of history. However, he argued that a court ruling does not prevent the president from taking a moral stance.
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
"The entire world sees this, that phrase, as an incitement to violence," he said.
"If you can't say that 'Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer' is an incitement to violence, we've got a fundamental problem."
He urged Ramaphosa to apply the same standard across the board, saying the US position was clear:
"Denounce all incitements to violence," Bozell added.
He argued that no law prevents the President from making such a statement, making the absence of one all the more significant in Washington's view.
Washington's five demands to Pretoria
The ambassador confirmed that the United States had presented South Africa with five formal diplomatic asks, first raised in 2025, covering farm attack prioritisation, the "Kill the Boer" chant, expropriation policy, B-BBEE ownership rules, and South Africa's alignment with US adversaries such as Iran. Bozell said Pretoria had still not formally responded to most of them nearly a year on.
He indicated that two of the five had been dealt with to Washington's satisfaction. The first, related to the US Afrikaner refugee programme, was described as done. The second, which was expropriation without compensation, was set aside because the matter is currently before the courts and is widely expected to be ruled unconstitutional according to the ambassador.
Julius Malema tells Bozell to 'go to hell'
Briefly News reported that Julius Malema has criticised the US Ambassador for comments he made about South Africa.
The US Ambassador also outlined five demands, which are specific conditions that the US expects South Africa to meet.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader also took offence at the ambassador's comments about the Kill the Boer song.
PAY ATTENTION: Stay informed and follow us on Google News!
Source: Briefly News
