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

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

Leo Brent Bozell III, who assumed the role in recent weeks, sparked controversy by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant ''Kill The Farmer''. Certain groups claim the chant amounts to hate speech, although the Constitutional Court has previously determined that it does not.

A official objection – known as a diplomatic note – was lodged by the government, which stated it took Bozell's comments ''very unfavorably''.

He issued a clarification on Wednesday, and a representative of the department of international relations later said the ambassador had conveyed remorse and apologised for the comments.

Business Meeting Speech Sparks Dispute

On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at a business meeting in the coastal town of Hermanus, presenting 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 demonstrating a lack of regard for the country's judiciary.

He later retreated his stance, saying he was ''ready to engage with South Africa in a positive manner'' and that ''the US government respects the independence of South Africa's judiciary''.

Officials Reacts Openly

At a press conference on Wednesday, the South African government announced they had called the US ambassador to Pretoria to account for his recent undiplomatic 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.

''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.

Wider Bilateral Strains

Relations between the US and South Africa have soured after US President Donald Trump took office last year, with the two nations disagreeing on commerce, foreign policy and South Africa's strategic partnerships.

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 criticising its land reform plans.

The South African government, in turn, has condemned the US decision to give preference to refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide have been widely discredited and are not supported by credible proof.

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