United States sends a warning to South Africa
The U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, pointed to billions of rands in American tech investment before warning that Washington was running out of patience with Pretoria.
Speaking at the 2026 BizNews Conference in Hermanus, Bozell cited major commitments from Visa, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon as evidence of U.S. commercial goodwill toward South Africa.
“The United States values partners in South Africa,” Bozell told delegates. He added that South Africa remains the largest U.S. trade and investment partner in sub-Saharan Africa.
More than 500 American companies operate in the country, employing over 250,000 South Africans and contributing meaningfully to economic growth, the ambassador said.
Visa launched its first African data centre in Johannesburg in 2025, part of a R1 billion investment in South Africa over three years.
Google Cloud opened its first African cloud region in Johannesburg, while Microsoft is investing an additional R5 billion by 2027 to expand cloud and AI infrastructure.
Microsoft has already invested more than R16 billion in South Africa and is helping to train one million South Africans for the digital economy.
Amazon is expanding its South African presence with new facilities and the AWS Skills Centre in Cape Town — the first such facility outside the United States.
“These are not isolated announcements,” Bozell said. “They’re proof that American companies bring capital, high standards, cutting-edge technology, workforce development, and long-term commitment.”
Bozell described these investments as “commercial diplomacy in action”, but stressed that partnership must be rooted in reciprocity.
He made clear that the commercial relationship alone cannot sustain bilateral ties without South Africa addressing specific political and policy concerns.
Bozell outlined what he called “five asks” — conditions the US expects South Africa to meet — and expressed frustration that they had gone unanswered for nearly a year.
His first and most prominent demand was a return to genuine non-alignment in foreign policy, which he said was U.S. President Donald Trump’s primary expectation.
He criticised South Africa for drifting toward U.S. adversaries, specifically citing the sending of condolence letters to Iran and what he described as insulting the U.S. President.
Although not explicitly mentioned, the non-alignment issue is also closely tied to South Africa’s ICJ case accusing Israel of genocide without including charges against Hamas for its 7 October 2023 attack.
The five asks
The U.S.’s second demand was for a level playing field in business, stating that American companies must be allowed to compete in South Africa on equal footing.
Third, he called for clear and fair expropriation policies with certainty around property rights, noting that investor confidence depends on predictable compensation standards.
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act into law in January 2025, explicitly allowing nil compensation under relatively broad circumstances.
Trump responded to this and the ICJ case by signing an executive order in February 2025 halting U.S. foreign aid to South Africa and creating a controversial refugee programme for the country’s racial minorities.
“When businesses believe their property rights may be uncertain, when policy frameworks create unpredictability instead of clarity, common ground becomes harder to sustain,” Bozell said.
Fourth, the ambassador called for an end to mandatory surrender of ownership or control of corporate decision-making as a condition for doing business in South Africa.
He acknowledged the importance of addressing historical injustice but argued that B-BBEE policies introduce compliance requirements and ownership challenges that stall foreign investment.
Fifth, Bozell demanded government action on rural safety and condemnation of rhetoric that glorifies hatred, singling out the “Kill The Boer” chant specifically.
“I don’t care what your courts say, it’s hate speech,” he said.
Washington’s frustration
Bozell expressed frustration that the U.S. had presented these demands to the South African government nearly a year ago without receiving a substantive response.
“President Trump’s America First policy means I’m here to advance the security, prosperity, and values of the American people,” Bozell said. “But America First does not mean America alone.”
Beyond the five asks, Bozell listed expanded cooperation in digital technology and critical minerals as a straightforward and achievable goal for both countries.
Relations between Pretoria and Washington have deteriorated sharply, with Trump cutting U.S. aid, imposing steep tariffs, and publicly accusing South Africa of persecuting its white minority.
South Africa has not had an ambassador in Washington since the Trump administration expelled Ebrahim Rasool in early 2025 after he publicly criticised the U.S. President.
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