New US Envoy to South Africa Called In 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 anti-apartheid chant.
Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed the role last month, sparked controversy by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant ''Kill The Boer''. Certain groups claim 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 issued by the government, which stated it took Bozell's comments ''with a very dim view''.
He issued a statement on Wednesday, and a official of the foreign ministry subsequently stated the ambassador had conveyed remorse and apologised for the remarks.
Business Meeting Speech Sparks 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 remarked he did not care what the courts said – words that were taken as showing a disrespect for the country's legal system.
He later retreated his stance, saying he was ''willing to work with South Africa constructively'' and that ''Washington honors the autonomy of South Africa's courts''.
Government Reacts Publicly
At a press conference 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. ''South African companies maintain a significant investment in the United States'', 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 Strains
Relations between the US and South Africa have soured since US President Donald Trump assumed the presidency last year, with the two sides disagreeing on trade, foreign policy and South Africa's strategic partnerships.
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 denouncing its land reform plans.
The South African government, in turn, has condemned the US decision to give preference to refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide have been widely discredited and are not supported by credible proof.
Tensions intensified last year when the US imposed the most severe import duties of any African country on South Africa.
