<\/p>\n
The latest dispute marks another deterioration in relations between SA and the US, which remain divided over land reform, race-based economic policies, farm killings and definitions of hate speech.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bozell was previously summoned in March after criticising SA court findings concerning the \u201cKill the Boer\u201d chant.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Political Analyst Dr Shingai Mutizwa-Mangiza said the latest summons followed reports that Bozell had described diplomacy as useless. \u201cOne of the things that Bozell said was that diplomacy is useless,\u201d Mutizwa-Mangiza said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether this is the official position of the US or the posture Bozell has taken is as yet unclear. Either way, the statements could be construed as constituting undiplomatic conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mutizwa-Mangiza said Bozell had reportedly been summoned three times since arriving in SA, an unusually high number for a diplomat serving a relatively short period. \u201cThis is certainly not your conventional diplomatic approach or conduct,\u201d Mutizwa-Mangiza said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mutizwa-Mangiza said the latest incident should be viewed against broader tensions over Washington\u2019s demands concerning hate speech, land policy and claims linked to farm killings.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The US has continued raising concerns about SA domestic policies, while Pretoria has defended national sovereignty, legislation and court decisions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mutizwa-Mangiza said the SA government had attempted to address US concerns through formal diplomatic channels, including detailed responses from President Cyril Ramaphosa. \u201cThe government has taken what I would deem the appropriate steps,\u201d Mutizwa-Mangiza said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people may argue that this may be bordering on leniency. Some may even argue that the grounds are sufficient for an expulsion.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mutizwa-Mangiza referred to the earlier expulsion of SA Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool from the US, noting that Pretoria had not taken equivalent action against Bozell. \u201cThe fact that SA has not reciprocated speaks to the maturity with which the government is dealing with these issues,\u201d Mutizwa-Mangiza said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mutizwa-Mangiza called for SA to remain firm while continuing to engage Washington through diplomatic channels. \u201cSA is a sovereign state. SA has national interests and should not be cajoled otherwise,\u201d Mutizwa-Mangiza said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":44630,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-46938","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"United States (US) Ambassador to South Africa (SA) Leo Brent Bozell has been summoned by Pretoria following public remarks that the government reportedly regarded as undiplomatic.","published_date":"","news_description":"United States (US) Ambassador to South Africa (SA) Leo Brent Bozell has been summoned by Pretoria following public remarks that the government reportedly regarded as undiplomatic.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46939,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46938\/revisions\/46939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=46938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}