The United States has escalated its confrontation with South Africa, announcing new visa restrictions against foreign nationals whom Washington accuses of enabling racial discrimination, uncompensated land seizures and the incitement of violence against minority groups.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the restrictions on Tuesday, saying Washington remained “gravely concerned about racially motivated crime and government-sponsored discrimination occurring against the Afrikaners and other minority populations in South Africa.”
Rubio specifically cited what he described as “race-based discriminatory legislation, threats of land expropriation without compensation, and incitement of racial violence through dehumanising chants and slogans.”
“The South African government has not adequately addressed the previously laid-out concerns,” Rubio said.
“So today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy targeting foreign nationals who are responsible for, or complicit in, the enactment or implementation of laws or policies that enable uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination, and/or the incitement of imminent violence against members of minority ethnic or racial groups in South Africa.”
The measures are being imposed under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the Secretary of State to declare a foreign national inadmissible where their entry could have “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences” for the United States. Certain family members may also be covered.
Rubio said Washington would not stand by while the alleged conduct continued.
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“The United States will not allow such behaviour to go unchecked,” he said, arguing that the actions “directly undermine peace, economic stability, and the rule of law” and are incompatible with US foreign policy principles.
“We once again strongly urge the South African government to quickly address these egregious actions,” Rubio added.
The announcement does not impose a blanket visa ban on South Africans and does not name specific individuals. Instead, the restrictions target foreign nationals whom Washington determines are responsible for, or complicit in, the policies and conduct identified by Rubio.
The latest action is part of a deterioration in relations between Washington and Pretoria under President Donald Trump.
Trump’s administration has previously cut US assistance to South Africa, offered refugee resettlement to Afrikaners and expelled South Africa’s ambassador to Washington.
The administration has also repeatedly raised allegations of persecution of white South Africans, including claims concerning land seizures and what Trump has described as “white genocide”. South African authorities have rejected those allegations, saying there is no evidence of a campaign of persecution against white people.
South Africa’s land-expropriation framework is intended to address the country’s historically unequal land ownership patterns while allowing expropriation without compensation in limited circumstances where legal requirements are met. Washington has instead focused on the potential for land to be taken without compensation.
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