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

The South African government has called in the recently arrived US ambassador after he made what they described as ''undiplomatic'' observations concerning an anti-apartheid chant.

Leo Brent Bozell III, who began the role in recent weeks, caused offence by disagreeing with a court decision 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 official objection – known as a demarche – was lodged by the government, which stated it took Bozell's comments ''very unfavorably''.

He provided a statement on Wednesday, and a official of the department of international relations later said the ambassador had conveyed remorse and apologised for the comments.

Business Meeting Speech Ignites Controversy

On Tuesday, Bozell addressed a corporate forum in the coastal town of Hermanus, outlining five issues he said South Africa required addressing.

One involved the argument over the chant. Bozell stated he did not care what the courts said – words that were interpreted as showing a lack of regard for the country's legal system.

He later retreated his position, 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 Openly

At a press conference on Wednesday, the South African government announced they had called 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. ''Substantial South African capital is invested in the US economy'', 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 director-general of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

Wider Diplomatic Tensions

Ties between the US and South Africa have soured after US President Donald Trump assumed the presidency last year, with the two sides clashing over trade, diplomacy and South Africa's international alliances.

Trump has been openly critical of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, accusing it of failing to protect the country's white minority and criticising its land redistribution 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 lack reliable evidence.

Tensions intensified last year when the US imposed the most severe import duties of any African country on South Africa.