New US Ambassador to South Africa Called In Over ''Undiplomatic'' Remarks

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

Leo Brent Bozell III, who began 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 formal protest – known as a demarche – was lodged by the government, which stated it viewed Bozell's comments ''with a very dim view''.

He issued a clarification on Wednesday, and a official of the department of international relations later said the ambassador had expressed regret and said sorry for the comments.

Forum Address Ignites Dispute

On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at a corporate forum in the coastal town 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 taken as showing a lack of regard for the country's judiciary.

He subsequently walked back his stance, 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 Reacts Publicly

At a press conference on Wednesday, the South African government announced they had summoned the US ambassador to Pretoria to explain his latest inappropriate remarks.

Minister Ronald Lamola noted that the partnership 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 Diplomatic Tensions

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

Trump has been openly critical of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, accusing it of not safeguarding the country's minority white population and criticising its land reform plans.

The South African government, in turn, has criticised the US decision to give preference to refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying allegations 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.