New US Envoy to South Africa Called In Over ''Undiplomatic'' Remarks
The Pretoria government has called in the recently arrived US ambassador following he made what they termed as ''undiplomatic'' 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 amounts to hate speech, even though the Constitutional Court has ruled previously that it does not.
A formal protest – known as a demarche – was lodged by the government, which stated it took Bozell's comments ''with a very dim view''.
He issued a statement on Wednesday, and a representative of the foreign ministry later said the ambassador had expressed regret and apologised for the remarks.
Forum Speech Ignites Dispute
On Tuesday, Bozell addressed a business meeting in the coastal town of Hermanus, presenting five issues he said South Africa required addressing.
One centered on the argument over the chant. Bozell stated he did not care what the courts said – comments that were interpreted as demonstrating a disrespect for the country's legal system.
He later retreated his position, saying he was ''ready to engage with South Africa in a positive manner'' and that ''the US government respects the independence of South Africa's judiciary''.
Government Responds Publicly
At a press conference on Wednesday, the South African government announced they had called the US ambassador to Pretoria to account for his latest inappropriate remarks.
Minister Ronald Lamola noted that the partnership between South Africa and the US was mutual. ''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.
Broader Bilateral Tensions
Relations between the US and South Africa have soured after US President Donald Trump took office last year, with the two nations clashing over commerce, diplomacy and South Africa's strategic partnerships.
Trump has been vocally disapproving of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, accusing it of failing to protect the country's minority white population and denouncing its land redistribution plans.
The South African government, in turn, has criticised the US decision to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a targeted persecution 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.