🔗 Share this article Recently Appointed US Envoy to South Africa Summoned Over ''Undiplomatic'' Comments The ambassador's comments about a divisive racial issue have been criticised as ''undiplomatic'' by the authorities. The Pretoria government has summoned the recently arrived US ambassador following he made what they termed as ''undiplomatic'' comments concerning an anti-apartheid chant. Leo Brent Bozell III, who began the role last month, caused offence by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant ''Kill The Boer''. Some argue the chant constitutes hate speech, even though 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 clarification on Wednesday, and a representative of the foreign ministry later said the ambassador had expressed regret and apologised for the remarks. Forum Address Sparks Controversy On Tuesday, Bozell addressed a corporate forum in the seaside resort of Hermanus, presenting 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 interpreted as showing a disrespect for the country's judiciary. 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 called 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. ''South African companies maintain a significant investment in the United States'', Lamola said. ''Mr Bozell expressed his regrets that these comments detracted from any impression that he wanted to work with us constructively'', stated Zane Dangor, the senior official of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. Broader Diplomatic Strains Ties between the US and South Africa have deteriorated after US President Donald Trump assumed the presidency 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, accusing it of not safeguarding the country's white minority and criticising its land reform plans. The South African government, meanwhile, has criticised 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. Frictions deepened last year when the US levied the highest tariffs of any African country on South Africa.
The ambassador's comments about a divisive racial issue have been criticised as ''undiplomatic'' by the authorities. The Pretoria government has summoned the recently arrived US ambassador following he made what they termed as ''undiplomatic'' comments concerning an anti-apartheid chant. Leo Brent Bozell III, who began the role last month, caused offence by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant ''Kill The Boer''. Some argue the chant constitutes hate speech, even though 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 clarification on Wednesday, and a representative of the foreign ministry later said the ambassador had expressed regret and apologised for the remarks. Forum Address Sparks Controversy On Tuesday, Bozell addressed a corporate forum in the seaside resort of Hermanus, presenting 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 interpreted as showing a disrespect for the country's judiciary. 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 called 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. ''South African companies maintain a significant investment in the United States'', Lamola said. ''Mr Bozell expressed his regrets that these comments detracted from any impression that he wanted to work with us constructively'', stated Zane Dangor, the senior official of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. Broader Diplomatic Strains Ties between the US and South Africa have deteriorated after US President Donald Trump assumed the presidency 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, accusing it of not safeguarding the country's white minority and criticising its land reform plans. The South African government, meanwhile, has criticised 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. Frictions deepened last year when the US levied the highest tariffs of any African country on South Africa.