United States: The United States has imposed visa restrictions on certain South African nationals over allegations of race-based discrimination, violence and land seizures without compensation, escalating tensions between Washington and Pretoria.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the restrictions would target people accused of promoting ‘race-based discrimination, inciting violence, or enabling land confiscation without compensation in South Africa.’ No individuals were named when the policy was announced.
The move is the latest escalation in relations between the two countries under President Donald Trump. Washington has previously cut aid to South Africa, expelled its ambassador and supported claims that white South Africans face persecution, allegations repeatedly rejected by the South African government.
As @POTUS has made clear, 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. The South African government has consistently failed to adequately address rural…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) September 15, 2026
South Africa has defended its land reform policies, saying they are intended to address racial inequalities created during apartheid. The country’s government has rejected claims that white South Africans are being persecuted or that the state is carrying out arbitrary land seizures.
A land reform law signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa allows the state to expropriate property in the public interest and provides for circumstances in which compensation can be set at zero. The law also generally requires authorities to first seek an agreement with property owners, while disputes can be challenged in court.
Land ownership remains a politically sensitive issue in South Africa more than three decades after apartheid ended. White South Africans make up just over 7 percent of the population and own most private farmland, according to the information provided.
The US embassy in Pretoria said Washington believed dialogue with South Africa had run its course and warned that the visa restrictions were the first in a series of possible escalatory measures.
South Africa had sought to improve relations with Washington, including through Ramaphosa’s visit to the White House in May. However, tensions continued, with the Trump administration imposing a 30 percent tariff on South African goods in August, according to the supplied material.
The latest restrictions are being imposed under a provision of US immigration law that allows the secretary of state to bar foreign nationals whose entry is considered potentially damaging to US foreign policy interests.
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