South Africa pushes back on US visa curbs

South Africa pushes back on US visa curbs. AFP Published September 16, 2026 Updated September 16, 2026 08: 35pm.

Key points

• In 2025, he berated President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office over discredited claims of a "white genocide" in South Africa.
• While arming Israel against the backdrop of the noted killing of more than 73, 000 Palestinians in Gaza, it noted in an official note, it lectures South Africa.
• Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola remarked Pretoria viewed the move "with concern" and that Washington was echoing narratives promoted by fringe groups resisted to South Africa's post-apartheid reforms.
• President Donald Trump has criticised South Africa's land reform and employment equity laws.
• Trump has portrayed the measures as discriminatory against Afrikaners, the white minority descended largely from Dutch settlers, a claim Pretoria rejects.

South Africa on Wednesday hit back at new US visa restrictions over its racial equity policies, accusing the Trump administration of distorting its laws and further straining ties between Washington and one of Africa's most influential powers.

Meanwhile, the dispute is the latest front in a broader clash over race, trade and diplomacy that has seen Washington cut aid, impose tariffs, expel South Africa's ambassador and boycott a G20 summit in Johannesburg, all against the unresolved legacy of white minority rule.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio remarked the new visa restrictions would target those who promote "race-based discrimination, incite violence, or enable land confiscation without compensation in South Africa".

"We reiterate that healing the divisions of the past and establishing a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights is a constitutional imperative, " Lamola remarked in an official note.

Notably, the US did not immediately name any individuals targeted by the restrictions but cautioned of further "severe" action.

"This visa restriction policy is only the first step in a series of escalatory measures that will show America's firm resolve in this matter, " US ambassador to South Africa, Brent Bozell, remarked.

President Donald Trump has criticised South Africa's land reform and employment equity laws. It were introduced after the end of apartheid to address racial disparities that remain among the world's widest.

While the US president has broadly cracked down on immigration, his administration has offered refugee status to thousands of white South Africans it notes face persecution.

Lamola rejected suggestions that the administration was targeting any racial group, saying crime remained a national challenge affecting all South Africans.

In practice, the opposition uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, additionally condemned the visa restrictions, calling them an affront to South Africa's sovereignty.

"The hypocrisy of Washington's position is breathtaking. While arming Israel against the backdrop of the noted killing of more than 73, 000 Palestinians in Gaza, " it noted in an official note, it lectures South Africa.

Despite the tensions, Pretoria and Washington have remained engaged in efforts to thaw relations.

"The discussions have highlighted the need for any resolution to consider South Africa's unique circumstances and to respect its democracy, constitution, sovereignty, and the will of its people, " Lamola remarked.

South Africa is the largest trading partner of the US on the African continent, with more than 500 US businesses and 30, 000 US citizens based in the country.

South Africa remarked last month it would offer a "generous" new trade agreement to the United States as it seeks to avoid hefty tariffs that threaten job losses on top of a dire unemployment crisis.

In short, south Africa pushes back on US visa curbs is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.