Recently Appointed US Envoy to South Africa Summoned Over ''Undiplomatic'' Remarks
The Pretoria government has summoned the recently arrived US ambassador after he made what they termed as ''unacceptable'' comments regarding an anti-apartheid chant.
Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed the role last month, sparked controversy by disagreeing with a court decision about the chant ''Kill The Boer''. Some argue the chant constitutes hate speech, although the highest court has ruled previously that it does not.
A official objection – known as a demarche – was lodged by the government, which stated it viewed Bozell's comments ''very unfavorably''.
He issued a clarification on Wednesday, and a representative of the department of international relations later said the ambassador had conveyed remorse and said sorry for the comments.
Business Meeting Address Ignites Controversy
On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at a business meeting in the coastal town of Hermanus, outlining five issues he said South Africa required addressing.
One involved the argument over the chant. Bozell remarked he did not care what the courts said – words that were taken as showing a lack of regard for the country's legal system.
He later retreated his stance, saying he was ''willing to work with South Africa constructively'' and that ''the US government respects the independence of South Africa's judiciary''.
Officials Responds Openly
At a media briefing on Wednesday, the South African government declared they had called the US ambassador to Pretoria to explain his recent inappropriate remarks.
Minister Ronald Lamola added that the relationship between South Africa and the US was not one-sided. ''Substantial South African capital is invested in the US economy'', Lamola said.
''The ambassador conveyed his regret that his statements undermined the constructive partnership he seeks'', stated Zane Dangor, the director-general of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Wider Bilateral Strains
Ties between the US and South Africa have soured after US President Donald Trump assumed the presidency last year, with the two sides disagreeing on commerce, diplomacy and South Africa's international alliances.
Trump has been openly critical of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, charging it with failing to protect the country's white minority and denouncing its land reform plans.
The South African government, meanwhile, has condemned the US decision to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying allegations of a white genocide have been widely discredited and lack reliable evidence.
Tensions deepened last year when the US imposed the most severe import duties of any African country on South Africa.