US Places Visa Restrictions on South African Officials Over Allegations

The US has placed visa restrictions on some officials from South Africa. This is due to their alleged involvement in “race-based discrimination” and “uncompensated land seizure.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the restrictions on Tuesday. He said, “The South African government has not adequately addressed the previously laid out concerns.”

Relations between the US and South Africa have been tense since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025. This new action adds to the ongoing disagreements, which often relate to South Africa’s case against Israel. Israel is a key ally of Washington, and this case is at the International Court of Justice regarding its actions in Gaza.

This is not the first time the Trump administration has targeted South Africa. The government has faced accusations of mistreating white South Africans. President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied these claims.

The US has also imposed visa restrictions on several other African countries, including Nigeria, Gambia, Malawi, and Senegal, for various reasons.

According to PREMIUM TIMES, Trump accused South Africa of mistreating white citizens in February 2025. He claimed that white South Africans were being brutally murdered over land ownership issues. He also cut off funding to South Africa as a punishment. Many independent observers have found these claims to be false.

The land ownership system in South Africa still carries the weight of the apartheid era. It shapes how resources and inequality are managed in the country over thirty years later.

White South Africans make up less than 10 percent of the population but own around 72 percent of the agricultural land. The 1913 Native Lands Act made it illegal for black people to own land outside designated areas known as “homelands.”

Since apartheid ended in 1994, South Africa has worked to address these historical injustices. But the government’s attempts to speed up land reform have upset some people. Elon Musk, a known ally of Trump, is among the critics.

Since 2025, the US has been focused on bringing white South Africans to the country as refugees.

Rubio expressed concern in a recent post on X. He said the US is “gravely concerned about racially motivated crime and government-sponsored discrimination occurring against the Afrikaners.”

He pointed out that South Africa’s race-based laws, threats of land grabbing without paying for it, and calls for racial violence have led to new US policies. He stated, “The South African people are being failed by a government that is destroying its economy through an obsessive pursuit of racial grievance against the Afrikaner minority.”

Rubio added, “The South African government has consistently failed to address rural crime, violent and dehumanising rhetoric adequately, and race-based discriminatory policies against Afrikaners and other minority populations.”

The US did not reveal which South African officials are affected by these travel restrictions. This comes ahead of the UN General Assembly set for 22 September in New York.

The US warned that these visa restrictions are “only the first step in a series of escalatory measures that will show America’s firm resolve in this matter.”

Attempts by South Africa to repair ties with the US have not been successful. President Ramaphosa's visit to the White House last May, with a group that included white members of his government, ended in a tense exchange. During the visit, Trump accused South Africa of committing genocide against white farmers.

Last year, Trump also said he was uninviting South Africa from the 2026 G20 summit in Miami. Additionally, the US imposed a 30 percent tariff on South African goods in August.