The South African government has summoned the new US ambassador after he made what they called “undiplomatic” comments about an anti-apartheid chant.
Leo Brent Bozell III, who started in the role last month, caused offence by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant Kill The Boer. Some say the chant amounts to hate speech, although the Constitutional Court has ruled previously that it does not.
A formal protest was issued – known as a demarche – by the government, which said it took Bozell’s comments “with a very dim view”.
He issued a clarification on Wednesday and a representative of the foreign ministry later said the ambassador had expressed regret and apologised for the remarks.
On Tuesday, Bozell addressed a business meeting in the coastal town of Hermanus, presenting five issues he said South Africa needed to fix.
One was an argument over the chant. Bozell said he did not care what the courts said – comments that were taken as showing a lack of regard for the country’s legal system.
He later retreated, saying he was ”willing to work with South Africa constructively” and that ”the US government respects the independence of South Africa’s judiciary”.