The United States has announced visa restrictions against foreign nationals accused of being involved in policies that discriminate against White minorities and other ethnic and racial groups in South Africa, escalating tensions between Washington and Pretoria.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the restrictions would target people responsible for, or complicit in, policies involving race-based discrimination, uncompensated land seizures and incitement of violence against minority groups, the Associated Press reported.“The United States will not allow such behavior to go unchecked,” Rubio said, adding that the actions were incompatible with US foreign policy principles and could undermine peace, economic stability and the rule of law.Rubio did not name any individuals who would be affected by the restrictions. The move comes as the Trump administration has repeatedly accused South Africa of discriminating against White people, particularly Afrikaners, who are mainly descended from Dutch and French settlers.South Africa has strongly rejected the US allegations, describing them as baseless and based on misinformation. Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Pretoria was concerned by the latest announcement and defended the country’s domestic policies as efforts to address the legacy of apartheid and colonial rule.
US cites land reform, affirmative action policies
The Trump administration has pointed to South Africa’s land expropriation law, affirmative action measures and violent crimes against White farmers as evidence of what it describes as an anti-White stance.The land law allows the government to expropriate unused private property without compensation in certain circumstances. However, South Africa says the legislation is intended to address historical inequalities and does not allow arbitrary seizure of land.Land ownership remains a contentious issue in South Africa more than three decades after apartheid ended. Under the apartheid system, the country’s Black majority was dispossessed of land and denied basic rights.South Africa’s government has said it has the sovereign right to introduce laws aimed at addressing centuries of racial injustice.
Latest escalation in US-South Africa tensions
The visa restrictions are the latest in a series of measures taken by the Trump administration against South Africa. Washington has previously barred South African officials from G20 meetings in the US and phased out aid for the country’s HIV treatment programme.The US has also introduced a refugee programme for Afrikaners and other White South Africans, with Trump claiming they face persecution in South Africa. Pretoria has repeatedly denied allegations of persecution or a campaign of violence against White people.Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since Trump returned to office, with Washington also expelling South Africa’s ambassador and imposing a 30 per cent tariff on South African goods, according to BBC.The US Embassy in Pretoria said Washington believed dialogue with South Africa had run its course, while warning that the latest visa restrictions were only the first step towards further measures.