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

The Pretoria government has called in the new US ambassador after he made what they described as ''undiplomatic'' observations concerning an anti-apartheid chant.

Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed the role in recent weeks, sparked controversy by questioning a legal ruling about the chant ''Kill The Boer''. Some argue the chant amounts to 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 took Bozell's comments ''with a very dim view''.

He provided a clarification on Wednesday, and a official of the foreign ministry subsequently stated the ambassador had expressed regret and said sorry for the comments.

Business Meeting Address Ignites Controversy

On Tuesday, Bozell addressed a corporate forum in the seaside resort of Hermanus, outlining five issues he said South Africa required addressing.

One involved the debate over the chant. Bozell remarked he did not care what the courts said – comments that were interpreted as demonstrating a disrespect for the country's legal system.

He subsequently walked back 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''.

Government Responds Openly

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

Minister Ronald Lamola added that the partnership 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 senior official of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

Wider Bilateral Tensions

Relations between the US and South Africa have soured since US President Donald Trump assumed the presidency last year, with the two nations clashing over trade, diplomacy and South Africa's international alliances.

Trump has been openly critical of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, accusing it of failing to protect the country's minority white population and criticising its land reform plans.

The South African government, in turn, has condemned the US decision to give preference to refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying allegations of a white genocide have been largely debunked and are not supported by credible proof.

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