Recently Appointed US Envoy to South Africa Called In Over ''Inappropriate'' Remarks
The Pretoria government has summoned the recently arrived US ambassador after he made what they described as ''unacceptable'' observations concerning an anti-apartheid chant.
Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed 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 ruled previously that it does not.
A official objection – 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 foreign ministry later said the ambassador had expressed regret and said sorry for the comments.
Forum Address Sparks Controversy
On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at a corporate forum in the seaside resort 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 – words that were taken as showing a lack of regard for the country's judiciary.
He later retreated his stance, saying he was ''ready to engage with South Africa in a positive manner'' and that ''Washington honors the autonomy of South Africa's courts''.
Government Responds Publicly
At a media briefing on Wednesday, the South African government announced they had summoned the US ambassador to Pretoria to account for his latest inappropriate remarks.
Minister Ronald Lamola added 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 senior official of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Wider Bilateral Tensions
Ties between the US and South Africa have soured since US President Donald Trump took office last year, with the two nations clashing over commerce, foreign policy and South Africa's international alliances.
Trump has been vocally disapproving of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, charging it with failing to protect the country's minority white population and criticising its land redistribution 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 white genocide have been widely discredited and lack reliable evidence.
Frictions intensified last year when the US levied the highest tariffs of any African country on South Africa.
