The South African government has called in the recently arrived US ambassador after he made what they described as ''undiplomatic'' comments regarding an anti-apartheid chant.
Leo Brent Bozell III, who began the role last month, sparked controversy by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant ''Kill The Boer''. Certain groups claim the chant constitutes 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 viewed 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 expressed regret and apologised for the comments.
On Tuesday, Bozell spoke at 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 – words that were taken as demonstrating a disrespect for the country's legal system.
He subsequently walked back 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''.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the South African government declared they had called the US ambassador to Pretoria to account for his latest inappropriate remarks.
Minister Ronald Lamola noted that the relationship between South Africa and the US was not one-sided. ''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 director-general of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Relations between the US and South Africa have deteriorated after US President Donald Trump assumed the presidency last year, with the two sides clashing over commerce, foreign policy and South Africa's international alliances.
Trump has been vocally disapproving of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, accusing it of failing to protect the country's minority white population and denouncing its land redistribution plans.
The South African government, in turn, has criticised the US decision to give preference to refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying allegations of a targeted persecution have been largely debunked 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.
