Recently Appointed US Envoy to South Africa Called In Over ''Inappropriate'' Remarks

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

Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed the role in recent weeks, caused offence by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant ''Kill The Boer''. 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 diplomatic note – was issued by the government, which stated it took Bozell's comments ''very unfavorably''.

He issued a statement on Wednesday, and a official of the foreign ministry later said the ambassador had expressed regret and said sorry for the comments.

Business Meeting Speech Ignites Dispute

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

One centered on the argument over the chant. Bozell remarked he did not care what the courts said – comments that were taken as showing a disrespect for the country's legal system.

He subsequently walked back 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 Responds Publicly

At a media briefing on Wednesday, the South African government declared they had called the US ambassador to Pretoria to explain his latest undiplomatic remarks.

Minister Ronald Lamola noted that the partnership between South Africa and the US was not one-sided. ''South African companies maintain a significant investment in the United States'', 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 Diplomatic Tensions

Ties 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, diplomacy and South Africa's international alliances.

Trump has been vocally disapproving of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, charging it with 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 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 levied the highest tariffs of any African country on South Africa.