US ambassador to South Africa, Brent Bozell III, has been chastised for “undiplomatic remarks” regarding South Africa’s domestic policies.
On Wednesday, Ronald Lamola, minister of international relations, confirmed that the recently-arrived US representative had been summoned to explain his comments on the ‘Kill the Boer’ chant and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE).
“The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has noted recent remarks by the United States Ambassador to South Africa. While South Africa welcomes public diplomacy and the strengthening of bilateral ties, we emphasised that such engagements must remain consistent with established etiquette and international protocols. In this regard we have called in Ambassador Bozell to explain his anti-diplomatic remarks.” Lamola stated.
At a conference in Hermanus, Western Cape, the day before, Bozell III insisted that the chant was hate speech, regardless of what the courts had pronounced on the issue. He also criticised BBBEE.
“I’m sorry; I don’t care what your courts say. It’s hate speech,” he said, but later clarified that this was a personal opinion and that “the US government respects the independence and findings of South Africa’s judiciary”.
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