New US Ambassador to South Africa Summoned Over ''Undiplomatic'' Remarks

The South African government has called in the recently arrived US ambassador following he made what they termed as ''unacceptable'' observations concerning an historical chant.

Leo Brent Bozell III, who began the role in recent weeks, sparked controversy by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant ''Kill The Boer''. Certain groups claim the chant constitutes hate speech, although the highest 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 ''with a very dim view''.

He issued a clarification on Wednesday, and a representative of the department of international relations later said the ambassador had expressed regret and said sorry for the comments.

Forum Speech Ignites Dispute

On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at a corporate forum in the coastal town of Hermanus, outlining five issues he said South Africa needed to fix.

One centered on the debate over the chant. Bozell stated he did not care what the courts said – words that were taken 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 Openly

At a media briefing on Wednesday, the South African government announced they had called the US ambassador to Pretoria to explain his latest undiplomatic 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 senior official of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

Wider 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 clashing over commerce, diplomacy and South Africa's strategic partnerships.

Trump has been vocally disapproving of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, charging it with not safeguarding the country's white minority and criticising its land redistribution 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.

Frictions deepened last year when the US levied the highest tariffs of any African country on South Africa.