🔗 Share this article Recently Appointed US Envoy to South Africa Called In Over ''Inappropriate'' Remarks The ambassador's comments about a divisive racial issue have been labeled as ''undiplomatic'' by the authorities. The Pretoria government has called in the recently arrived US ambassador after he made what they termed as ''unacceptable'' 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''. Some argue the chant amounts to hate speech, even though the highest court has previously determined that it does not. A official objection – known as a demarche – was lodged by the government, which stated it viewed 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 expressed regret and said sorry for the remarks. Forum Address Sparks Controversy On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at a corporate forum in the coastal town 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 – comments that were taken as showing a disrespect for the country's legal system. He subsequently walked back his stance, saying he was ''ready to engage with South Africa in a positive manner'' and that ''Washington honors the autonomy of South Africa's courts''. Officials Responds Publicly At a media briefing on Wednesday, the South African government declared they had summoned the US ambassador to Pretoria to account for his recent undiplomatic remarks. Minister Ronald Lamola added that the partnership between South Africa and the US was mutual. ''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. Broader Diplomatic Strains Relations 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, diplomacy and South Africa's strategic partnerships. 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 prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide have been widely discredited and lack reliable evidence. Tensions deepened last year when the US imposed the highest tariffs of any African country on South Africa.
The ambassador's comments about a divisive racial issue have been labeled as ''undiplomatic'' by the authorities. The Pretoria government has called in the recently arrived US ambassador after he made what they termed as ''unacceptable'' 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''. Some argue the chant amounts to hate speech, even though the highest court has previously determined that it does not. A official objection – known as a demarche – was lodged by the government, which stated it viewed 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 expressed regret and said sorry for the remarks. Forum Address Sparks Controversy On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at a corporate forum in the coastal town 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 – comments that were taken as showing a disrespect for the country's legal system. He subsequently walked back his stance, saying he was ''ready to engage with South Africa in a positive manner'' and that ''Washington honors the autonomy of South Africa's courts''. Officials Responds Publicly At a media briefing on Wednesday, the South African government declared they had summoned the US ambassador to Pretoria to account for his recent undiplomatic remarks. Minister Ronald Lamola added that the partnership between South Africa and the US was mutual. ''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. Broader Diplomatic Strains Relations 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, diplomacy and South Africa's strategic partnerships. 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 prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide have been widely discredited and lack reliable evidence. Tensions deepened last year when the US imposed the highest tariffs of any African country on South Africa.