🔗 Share this article Recently Appointed US Envoy to South Africa Summoned Over ''Inappropriate'' Remarks Bozell's comments about a contentious racial issue have been criticised as ''undiplomatic'' by the government. The South African government has called in the new US ambassador after he made what they described as ''undiplomatic'' comments concerning an anti-apartheid chant. Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed the role last month, caused offence by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant ''Kill The Farmer''. Certain groups claim the chant amounts to hate speech, although the highest court has previously determined that it does not. A official objection – known as a diplomatic note – was issued by the government, which stated it viewed Bozell's comments ''with a very dim view''. He provided a clarification on Wednesday, and a representative of the department of international relations subsequently stated the ambassador had expressed regret and apologised for the comments. 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 involved the argument over the chant. Bozell remarked he did not care what the courts said – words that were taken as demonstrating a disrespect for the country's legal system. He later retreated his stance, saying he was ''willing to work with South Africa constructively'' and that ''Washington honors the autonomy of South Africa's courts''. Officials Responds Openly At a media briefing 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 added 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 Bilateral Strains Ties between the US and South Africa have soured after US President Donald Trump took office last year, with the two nations clashing over commerce, foreign policy and South Africa's strategic partnerships. Trump has been openly critical of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, accusing it of not safeguarding the country's white minority and denouncing its land reform plans. The South African government, in turn, has criticised the US decision to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide have been widely discredited and are not supported by credible proof. Frictions deepened last year when the US levied the most severe import duties of any African country on South Africa.
Bozell's comments about a contentious racial issue have been criticised as ''undiplomatic'' by the government. The South African government has called in the new US ambassador after he made what they described as ''undiplomatic'' comments concerning an anti-apartheid chant. Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed the role last month, caused offence by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant ''Kill The Farmer''. Certain groups claim the chant amounts to hate speech, although the highest court has previously determined that it does not. A official objection – known as a diplomatic note – was issued by the government, which stated it viewed Bozell's comments ''with a very dim view''. He provided a clarification on Wednesday, and a representative of the department of international relations subsequently stated the ambassador had expressed regret and apologised for the comments. 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 involved the argument over the chant. Bozell remarked he did not care what the courts said – words that were taken as demonstrating a disrespect for the country's legal system. He later retreated his stance, saying he was ''willing to work with South Africa constructively'' and that ''Washington honors the autonomy of South Africa's courts''. Officials Responds Openly At a media briefing 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 added 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 Bilateral Strains Ties between the US and South Africa have soured after US President Donald Trump took office last year, with the two nations clashing over commerce, foreign policy and South Africa's strategic partnerships. Trump has been openly critical of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, accusing it of not safeguarding the country's white minority and denouncing its land reform plans. The South African government, in turn, has criticised the US decision to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide have been widely discredited and are not supported by credible proof. Frictions deepened last year when the US levied the most severe import duties of any African country on South Africa.