New US Ambassador to South Africa Called In Over ''Inappropriate'' Remarks

The Pretoria government has called in the new 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, caused offence by disagreeing with a court decision 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 formal protest – known as a demarche – was lodged by the government, which stated it took Bozell's comments ''with a very dim view''.

He issued a statement on Wednesday, and a representative of the foreign ministry later said the ambassador had expressed regret and apologised for the remarks.

Business Meeting Address Ignites Controversy

On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at a business meeting in the seaside resort of Hermanus, presenting five issues he said South Africa required addressing.

One centered on the debate 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 ''willing to work with South Africa constructively'' and that ''the US government respects the independence of South Africa's judiciary''.

Officials Reacts 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 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 director-general of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

Wider Bilateral Tensions

Ties between the US and South Africa have soured since US President Donald Trump took office last year, with the two nations disagreeing on trade, diplomacy and South Africa's international alliances.

Trump has been vocally disapproving of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, accusing it of failing to protect the country's white minority and denouncing its land redistribution 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.

Frictions intensified last year when the US imposed the highest tariffs of any African country on South Africa.