‘Get out of the kitchen’: Lamola and US ambassador traded barbs as ties fray

Diplomatic tensions between South Africa and the United States boiled over this week after International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola and US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III exchanged sharp public comments about the state of bilateral engagement.

What happened

Lamola told the Sunday Times that if Bozell believed diplomacy and talking were no longer useful, then he should “get out of the kitchen.” Lamola said he was “taken aback” by Bozell’s remark that the “time for talking was over” and insisted a diplomat’s role is to resolve differences through dialogue.

Lamola added that a diplomat should not interfere in the domestic politics of the host country and said Bozell had shown “very undiplomatic conduct.” He also said South Africa is capable of running its own domestic affairs.

Bozell’s response

Bozell replied on X, writing:

“So here we go again. Another Minister Lamola personal insult aimed at an American leader (this time me) which, when denounced (which I’m doing now), will result in a demarche with a lecture about being ‘undiplomatic.’ And then the South African government wonders why relations are collapsing,”

Wider context

The exchange followed recent moves from the US government to announce new visa restrictions targeting foreign nationals accused of involvement in race‑based discrimination and uncompensated land seizures in South Africa. Bozell earlier criticised Pretoria and wrote an opinion piece titled The Cost of Doing Nothing, linking the visa policy to South Africa’s stance on issues such as farm attacks and foreign investment.

The Citizen noted that critics have warned South Africa may be risking economic cooperation with the US. Professor André Thomashausen was quoted as saying the country could be “losing an enormous opportunity in economic cooperation” and that foregoing it would be “a great loss and a misdirection of policy.”

Historic tensions

The Citizen’s report recalled a sequence of earlier actions and statements by the US administration that targeted South Africa, including withdrawing aid funding, issuing an executive order alleging human rights violations, offering refugee status to some white farmers, and expelling a former ambassador. The report also noted that former President Donald Trump has repeatedly singled out South Africa on a range of issues and that he played a video to President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office that alleged a campaign against white farmers.

What’s next

The public back-and-forth between Lamola and Bozell signals a sharp diplomatic rift and underscores ongoing friction over policy, sovereignty and bilateral cooperation. The exchanges have prompted questions about the future shape of relations between Washington and Pretoria.