New US Ambassador to South Africa Summoned Over ''Undiplomatic'' Remarks
The Pretoria government has called in 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 court decision about the chant ''Kill The Boer''. Certain groups claim the chant amounts to hate speech, although the Constitutional Court has previously determined that it does not.
A official objection – known as a diplomatic note – was issued by the government, which stated it took Bozell's comments ''with a very dim view''.
He issued a clarification on Wednesday, and a official of the department of international relations subsequently stated the ambassador had conveyed remorse and said sorry for the comments.
Forum Address Ignites Controversy
On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at a business meeting in the seaside resort of Hermanus, presenting five issues he said South Africa required addressing.
One centered on the debate 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 subsequently walked back his stance, saying he was ''willing to work with South Africa constructively'' and that ''Washington honors the autonomy of South Africa's courts''.
Officials Reacts Openly
At a press conference on Wednesday, the South African government announced they had summoned the US ambassador to Pretoria to account for his recent inappropriate remarks.
Minister Ronald Lamola added that the partnership between South Africa and the US was mutual. ''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.
Broader Diplomatic Tensions
Ties between the US and South Africa have deteriorated after US President Donald Trump assumed the presidency last year, with the two nations clashing over trade, diplomacy and South Africa's strategic partnerships.
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 redistribution plans.
The South African government, meanwhile, has criticised the US decision to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying allegations of a white genocide have been widely discredited and lack reliable evidence.
Frictions intensified last year when the US imposed the most severe import duties of any African country on South Africa.
