Recently Appointed US Ambassador to South Africa Summoned Over ''Undiplomatic'' Remarks

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

Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed the role in recent weeks, sparked controversy by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant ''Kill The Boer''. Some argue the chant amounts to hate speech, although the Constitutional Court has ruled previously that it does not.

A formal protest – known as a demarche – was issued by the government, which stated it took Bozell's comments ''very unfavorably''.

He issued a statement on Wednesday, and a representative of the department of international relations later said the ambassador had conveyed remorse and apologised for the comments.

Forum Speech Ignites Dispute

On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at a business meeting in the seaside resort of Hermanus, outlining five issues he said South Africa needed to fix.

One involved the argument over the chant. Bozell stated he did not care what the courts said – comments that were interpreted as showing a lack of regard for the country's legal system.

He subsequently walked back his position, saying he was ''willing to work with South Africa constructively'' and that ''Washington honors the autonomy of South Africa's courts''.

Officials Responds Openly

At a media briefing on Wednesday, the South African government declared they had summoned the US ambassador to Pretoria to explain his recent 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 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 disagreeing on 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 white minority and denouncing its land reform plans.

The South African government, meanwhile, has condemned the US decision to give preference to refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying allegations of a white genocide have been widely discredited and are not supported by credible proof.

Frictions deepened last year when the US imposed the most severe import duties of any African country on South Africa.