New US Ambassador to South Africa Summoned Over ''Undiplomatic'' Comments
The South African government has summoned the new US ambassador after he made what they described as ''unacceptable'' observations regarding an anti-apartheid chant.
Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed the role last month, caused offence by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant ''Kill The Farmer''. Certain groups claim the chant amounts to hate speech, although 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 clarification on Wednesday, and a official of the foreign ministry subsequently stated the ambassador had expressed regret and said sorry for the comments.
Forum Address Sparks Dispute
On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at a business meeting in the coastal town of Hermanus, outlining five issues he said South Africa needed to fix.
One involved the debate over the chant. Bozell stated he did not care what the courts said – comments that were taken as showing a disrespect for the country's judiciary.
He later retreated his position, saying he was ''willing to work with South Africa constructively'' and that ''the US government respects the independence of South Africa's judiciary''.
Government Responds Publicly
At a media briefing on Wednesday, the South African government announced they had summoned the US ambassador to Pretoria to account for his latest undiplomatic remarks.
Minister Ronald Lamola noted that the partnership 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.
Broader Bilateral Strains
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 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 condemned the US decision to give preference to refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying allegations of a targeted persecution have been widely discredited and lack reliable evidence.
Tensions deepened last year when the US levied the most severe import duties of any African country on South Africa.
