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

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

Leo Brent Bozell III, who began the role last month, sparked controversy by disagreeing with a court decision about the chant ''Kill The Boer''. Certain groups claim the chant amounts to hate speech, even though the Constitutional 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 provided a clarification on Wednesday, and a representative of the foreign ministry later said the ambassador had expressed regret and said sorry for the comments.

Forum Address Ignites Dispute

On Tuesday, Bozell addressed a corporate forum in the seaside resort of Hermanus, presenting 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 – comments that were interpreted as demonstrating 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 media briefing on Wednesday, the South African government declared they had called the US ambassador to Pretoria to account for his latest inappropriate remarks.

Minister Ronald Lamola added 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 senior official of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

Broader Bilateral Tensions

Ties between the US and South Africa have soured since 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 vocally disapproving of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, accusing it of not safeguarding the country's minority white population and denouncing its land redistribution plans.

The South African government, meanwhile, has condemned the US decision to give preference to refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide have been largely debunked and lack reliable evidence.

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