New US Ambassador to South Africa Called In Over ''Undiplomatic'' Remarks
The South African government has called in the new US ambassador after he made what they described as ''unacceptable'' comments regarding an anti-apartheid chant.
Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed the role last month, caused offence by disagreeing with a court decision about the chant ''Kill The Farmer''. Some argue the chant amounts to 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 clarification on Wednesday, and a representative of the foreign ministry later said the ambassador had conveyed remorse and said sorry for the comments.
Business Meeting Address Ignites Controversy
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 involved the argument over the chant. Bozell remarked he did not care what the courts said – words that were interpreted 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 ''Washington honors the autonomy of South Africa's courts''.
Government Responds Openly
At a press conference on Wednesday, the South African government announced they had called the US ambassador to Pretoria to account for his latest 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 senior official of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Broader Bilateral Tensions
Relations between the US and South Africa have deteriorated after US President Donald Trump assumed the presidency last year, with the two nations disagreeing on commerce, foreign policy 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 minority white population and denouncing its land redistribution plans.
The South African government, in turn, 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.
Frictions intensified last year when the US imposed the highest tariffs of any African country on South Africa.