Recently Appointed US Envoy to South Africa Summoned Over ''Inappropriate'' Comments

The Pretoria government has called in the new US ambassador after he made what they termed as ''undiplomatic'' comments regarding 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 Farmer''. Certain groups claim the chant constitutes hate speech, even though the Constitutional Court has ruled previously that it does not.

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

He issued a statement on Wednesday, and a representative of the foreign ministry subsequently stated the ambassador had expressed regret and said sorry for the remarks.

Business Meeting Address Sparks Controversy

On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at a corporate forum in the seaside resort of Hermanus, outlining five issues he said South Africa required addressing.

One centered on the debate over the chant. Bozell remarked he did not care what the courts said – words that were taken as demonstrating a lack of regard for the country's judiciary.

He subsequently walked back his stance, saying he was ''ready to engage with South Africa in a positive manner'' and that ''the US government respects the independence of South Africa's judiciary''.

Officials Responds Openly

At a press conference on Wednesday, the South African government declared they had summoned the US ambassador to Pretoria to explain his recent undiplomatic 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 director-general of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

Broader Bilateral Tensions

Relations between the US and South Africa have soured after US President Donald Trump took office last year, with the two nations clashing over trade, diplomacy 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 minority white population 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.

Tensions intensified last year when the US imposed the highest tariffs of any African country on South Africa.