Recently Appointed US Ambassador to South Africa Called In Over ''Undiplomatic'' Comments

The South African government has called in the new US ambassador following he made what they termed as ''unacceptable'' observations regarding an anti-apartheid chant.

Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed the role in recent weeks, sparked controversy by questioning a court decision 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 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 department of international relations subsequently stated the ambassador had expressed regret and said sorry for the remarks.

Business Meeting Speech Sparks Dispute

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 centered on the debate over the chant. Bozell remarked he did not care what the courts said – comments that were interpreted as demonstrating a disrespect for the country's judiciary.

He subsequently walked back his stance, saying he was ''willing to work with South Africa constructively'' and that ''Washington honors the autonomy of South Africa's courts''.

Officials Reacts Openly

At a media briefing on Wednesday, the South African government declared they had summoned 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 director-general of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

Wider Bilateral Strains

Relations between the US and South Africa have deteriorated since US President Donald Trump assumed the presidency last year, with the two sides clashing over trade, 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 criticising its land redistribution plans.

The South African government, meanwhile, 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.

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