Recently Appointed US Envoy to South Africa Summoned Over ''Undiplomatic'' Comments

The Pretoria government has summoned the recently arrived US ambassador after he made what they described as ''undiplomatic'' comments regarding an anti-apartheid chant.

Leo Brent Bozell III, who began the role in recent weeks, caused offence by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant ''Kill The Boer''. Some argue the chant amounts to hate speech, although the highest court has previously determined that it does not.

A official objection – known as a demarche – was issued by the government, which stated it took Bozell's comments ''with a very dim view''.

He issued a statement on Wednesday, and a official of the foreign ministry later said the ambassador had conveyed remorse and apologised for the remarks.

Business Meeting Address Sparks Dispute

On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at a corporate forum in the coastal town of Hermanus, outlining five issues he said South Africa needed to fix.

One involved the debate over the chant. Bozell stated 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 subsequently walked back his position, 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 Publicly

At a press conference on Wednesday, the South African government declared they had called the US ambassador to Pretoria to explain his recent undiplomatic remarks.

Minister Ronald Lamola noted that the relationship between South Africa and the US was not one-sided. ''South African companies maintain a significant investment in the United States'', 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 Diplomatic Tensions

Relations between the US and South Africa have deteriorated after US President Donald Trump took office last year, with the two nations disagreeing on commerce, diplomacy and South Africa's international alliances.

Trump has been vocally disapproving of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, charging it with failing to protect the country's white minority and criticising its land redistribution plans.

The South African government, meanwhile, has condemned the US decision to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a targeted persecution have been largely debunked and are not supported by credible proof.

Frictions intensified last year when the US levied the most severe import duties of any African country on South Africa.