Recently Appointed US Envoy to South Africa Summoned Over ''Inappropriate'' Comments
The Pretoria government has called in the recently arrived US ambassador following he made what they described as ''undiplomatic'' comments regarding an historical chant.
Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed the role last month, caused offence by disagreeing with a court decision about the chant ''Kill The Boer''. Certain groups claim the chant constitutes hate speech, even though the Constitutional 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 ''very unfavorably''.
He issued a clarification on Wednesday, and a official of the department of international relations subsequently stated the ambassador had expressed regret and apologised for the comments.
Business Meeting Speech Sparks Controversy
On Tuesday, Bozell addressed a corporate forum in the seaside resort of Hermanus, presenting five issues he said South Africa needed to fix.
One involved the argument 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 ''willing to work with South Africa constructively'' and that ''Washington honors the autonomy of South Africa's courts''.
Officials Reacts Openly
At a media briefing 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 relationship 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.
Broader Bilateral Strains
Ties between the US and South Africa have deteriorated since US President Donald Trump took office last year, with the two sides disagreeing on trade, diplomacy and South Africa's strategic partnerships.
Trump has been openly critical of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, accusing it of failing to protect the country's white minority and denouncing its land redistribution plans.
The South African government, in turn, has condemned the US decision to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide have been widely discredited and are not supported by credible proof.
Frictions deepened last year when the US levied the most severe import duties of any African country on South Africa.
