The so-called apology from US envoy Leo Brent Bozell III has landed like a wet blanket in South Africa. It’s not an apology at all – it’s damage control after he was dragged in to explain his reckless, disrespectful comments about our highest court.
You can’t trash the Constitutional Court – the ultimate guardian of our democracy and then try to smooth it over with polished diplomatic wording. That court isn’t some foreign advisory board; it’s the heartbeat of our sovereign republic. No ambassador, no matter where they’re from, gets to lecture or undermine it.
Let’s not forget the other side of the coin. Back in March 2025, under President Trump, the United States kicked out our ambassador Ebrahim Rasool and declared him persona non grata without a second thought. No apology. No soft words. Just swift, cold action.
So why should South Africa keep playing the polite, timid neighbour?
Diplomacy only works when it’s built on equality and give-and-take. If Washington can boot our envoy without blinking, we must be ready to do the same when theirs crosses the line and meddles in our affairs.
We’ve had enough of American envoys arriving with the attitude that they can school us on our own courts, our politics, and our hard-won history. South Africa is not a colony. Our democracy wasn’t built so outsiders could supervise it like some project.
The message needs to be loud and clear: respect us, or face exactly the same treatment you dish out to others. The days when foreign powers could bully this nation are finished.
South Africa belongs to its people. Our institutions are not up for debate by anyone in Washington.