US Ambassador to SA Leo Brent Bozell III
Image: Kris Connor / Getty Images North America / AFP
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) says there is no “white genocide” in SA, has called the “Kill the Boer” chant “hate speech”, and says the Iranian regime “must fall”.
The party made the remarks after its leader, Gayton McKenzie, met the new US ambassador to SA, Leo Brent Bozell III on Friday.
Bozell, who started the job last month, caused a stir after he disagreed with a court ruling about the chant “Kill the Boer”.
The chant, which comes from struggle songs sung during the fight against apartheid, has long been controversial.
Some said the chant amounted to hate speech against white farmers, while others argued it was a historic political chant.
The Constitutional Court previously ruled that the chant was not hate speech when used in its political and historical context.
“I am sorry, I do not care what your courts say... it is hate speech,” Bozell said at a business conference on Tuesday.
Bozell also said SA should change some of its affirmative action laws, which were introduced to address inequalities created by decades of apartheid.
He compared the laws to the race-based laws that oppressed Black South Africans under apartheid.
SA then issued a demarche, a formal diplomatic rebuke, to Bozell.
“We have called in Bozell to explain his undiplomatic remarks,” International relations minister Ronald Lamola said.
Bozell has since apologised.
But the PA now said the outcry and attacks on Bozell were "ridiculous".
"As for the controversy around Bozell expressing a personal opinion about the song 'Kill the Boer', we believe it is ridiculous," the party's spokesperson, Steve Motale, said.
"We stand with the ambassador."
Motale, in a statement on behalf of the party, said people in a democracy were entitled to their opinions, even if those opinions disagreed with a court ruling.
But it added that chants calling for the killing of any group of people were unacceptable.
“It is hate speech, pure and simple," he said.
"No historical context can justify repeating language that celebrates the killing of fellow citizens."
The PA also rejected claims that SA was facing a “white genocide”.
The phrase has been widely circulated by some activists and commentators, particularly in the US, who claim white farmers are being systematically targeted and killed.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that white South African farmers are being persecuted or killed because of their race.
He even offered refugee status in the US to white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners because of the so-called "white genocide".
This claim has been widely rejected by South African authorities and crime researchers.
The PA agreed.
“It is dishonest to suggest that these crimes constitute genocide," Motale said.
"SA faces a serious crime crisis that affects all communities."
The party added that crime levels in gang-ridden areas affecting coloured communities were far higher but were also not described as genocide.
The PA said SA needed serious action to deal with crime rather than “political slogans or imported narratives”.
It welcomed the recent deployment of the SA National Defence Force to help police fight gangs, organised crime and violence in affected areas.
President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the deployment of members of the SA National Defence Force from 1 March 2026 until 31 March 2027.
This is to support police operations against violent crime, gangs, organised crime and illegal mining in five provinces, including the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng.
Motale said the meeting between Bozell and McKenzie was also used to discuss relations between SA and the US.
He said the relationship was important because more than 600 American companies operate in SA, employing more than 100,000 South Africans and supporting many more jobs through trade and investment.
The PA said the appointment of Bozell created an opportunity to improve relations between the two countries.
The party also commented on global politics in the Middle East.
It said the Iranian regime had played a role in fuelling conflict and instability in the region through its support for armed groups and its conflict with Israel and other countries in the region.
“So let there be no ambiguity, the PA stands with the US and with Israel in confronting the Iranian regime.
"The regime must fall."
However, it added that its opposition was directed at the government in Iran and not the Iranian people.
“Our opposition is directed at the regime, not the Iranian people,” the party said.
"The PA continues to call for peace and stability across the Middle East."
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