🔗 Share this article New US Envoy to South Africa Called In Over ''Inappropriate'' Comments The ambassador's statements about a divisive racial issue have been criticised as ''undiplomatic'' by the authorities. The South African government has called in the recently arrived US ambassador following he made what they described as ''unacceptable'' comments regarding an historical 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 Farmer''. Some argue the chant amounts to hate speech, even though the Constitutional Court has previously determined that it does not. A official objection – known as a demarche – was lodged by the government, which stated it took Bozell's comments ''very unfavorably''. He issued a statement on Wednesday, and a representative of the foreign ministry later said the ambassador had conveyed remorse and said sorry for the comments. Business Meeting Speech Ignites Dispute On Tuesday, Bozell addressed a corporate forum in the seaside resort of Hermanus, presenting five issues he said South Africa required addressing. One involved the debate over the chant. Bozell remarked he did not care what the courts said – words that were taken as showing a lack of regard for the country's legal system. He later retreated his stance, saying he was ''willing to work with South Africa constructively'' and that ''the US government respects the independence of South Africa's judiciary''. Government Reacts Publicly At a media briefing on Wednesday, the South African government declared they had called the US ambassador to Pretoria to account for his recent inappropriate remarks. Minister Ronald Lamola noted that the relationship between South Africa and the US was mutual. ''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 senior official of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. Wider Bilateral Strains Ties between the US and South Africa have soured since US President Donald Trump took office last year, with the two nations clashing over commerce, foreign policy and South Africa's international alliances. Trump has been openly critical of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, charging it with failing to protect the country's white minority and criticising its land reform plans. The South African government, meanwhile, has criticised the US decision to give preference to refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying allegations of a white genocide have been widely discredited and are not supported by credible proof. Tensions deepened last year when the US levied the most severe import duties of any African country on South Africa.
The ambassador's statements about a divisive racial issue have been criticised as ''undiplomatic'' by the authorities. The South African government has called in the recently arrived US ambassador following he made what they described as ''unacceptable'' comments regarding an historical 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 Farmer''. Some argue the chant amounts to hate speech, even though the Constitutional Court has previously determined that it does not. A official objection – known as a demarche – was lodged by the government, which stated it took Bozell's comments ''very unfavorably''. He issued a statement on Wednesday, and a representative of the foreign ministry later said the ambassador had conveyed remorse and said sorry for the comments. Business Meeting Speech Ignites Dispute On Tuesday, Bozell addressed a corporate forum in the seaside resort of Hermanus, presenting five issues he said South Africa required addressing. One involved the debate over the chant. Bozell remarked he did not care what the courts said – words that were taken as showing a lack of regard for the country's legal system. He later retreated his stance, saying he was ''willing to work with South Africa constructively'' and that ''the US government respects the independence of South Africa's judiciary''. Government Reacts Publicly At a media briefing on Wednesday, the South African government declared they had called the US ambassador to Pretoria to account for his recent inappropriate remarks. Minister Ronald Lamola noted that the relationship between South Africa and the US was mutual. ''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 senior official of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. Wider Bilateral Strains Ties between the US and South Africa have soured since US President Donald Trump took office last year, with the two nations clashing over commerce, foreign policy and South Africa's international alliances. Trump has been openly critical of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, charging it with failing to protect the country's white minority and criticising its land reform plans. The South African government, meanwhile, has criticised the US decision to give preference to refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying allegations of a white genocide have been widely discredited and are not supported by credible proof. Tensions deepened last year when the US levied the most severe import duties of any African country on South Africa.