Leo Bozell III Warns South Africa Could Become the Next Haiti if Government Chooses Wrong Policies

• United States Ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, discussed two very different futures awaiting the country
• The warning came during a sit-down interview that touched on South Africa's path with the current government policies
• South Africans on social media were divided, with some pushing back hard against the ambassador's remarks

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online journalism.

The United States Ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, has issued a blunt warning that the country risks becoming another Haiti if its government pursues the wrong policy direction.

Bozell made the remarks during a sit-down interview with Gabriel Makin of The Common Sense on Monday, 19 October 2026. The topic arose when Makin referenced an argument previously put forward by Moeletsi Mbeki, a political economist and brother of former President Thabo Mbeki, who had suggested that South Africa, like the US, is a "country of the New World" and that its future could take drastically different directions depending on the choices it makes.

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Mbeki had framed those possibilities as either following the path of Haiti or that of the United States.

Bozell shares his take on the matter

The ambassador did not hesitate to agree, saying it depended on the country's policies.

"South Africa can and will go the way of Haiti with the wrong policies. However, it can go the way of the United States with the right policies. As simple as that," Bozell said.

He credited South Africa for navigating its transition away from apartheid without descending into full-scale war, expressing confidence in South Africa's potential, arguing that the country already possesses the foundations the US had to build from scratch.

"We started with nothing, and look what we did. You started with something, so you could be every bit as successful as the United States has been," he said.

Haiti is widely regarded as one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, holding the distinction of being the poorest country in the Americas. Armed groups effectively control large portions of its capital, and the state has been severely weakened across security, governance, and economic functions.

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You can watch his full interview below.

How did South Africans react?

The interview drew considerable reaction on social media.

@Peter_Savege stated:

"It’s a travesty that you don't ask him how Iraq or Afghanistan is going, considering their intervention."

@GerhardPre31556 said about the Haiti comparison:

"Correct. And we won't have to wait very long either."

@johan_g_smit agreed:

"Haiti is SA's genetic destiny."

@Nonhlan23097804 noted:

"He has been "warning" South Africa since his arrival."

@DMbongeli claimed:

"Leo Brent Bozell thinks he is the governor of South Africa, not an American ambassador to South Africa."

Other stories about Bozell III

• Bozell called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to publicly condemn the “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer” chant.
• Bozell pitched a mutually beneficial mineral deal between South Africa and the United States.
• The US Ambassador slammed the “preposterously silly” rules keeping Starlink out of South Africa.

Source: Briefly News