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The United States has announced new visa restrictions targeting South Africans, following months of criticism from President Donald Trump over the country’s post-apartheid policies on land ownership and employment equity.
The move adds to growing tensions between Washington and Pretoria, with Trump repeatedly accusing South Africa’s government of unfairly treating the Afrikaner minority through policies designed to address racial inequalities inherited from decades of white minority rule.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the restrictions would apply to individuals accused of promoting “race-based discrimination, inciting violence, or enabling land confiscation without compensation” in South Africa.
“As President Trump 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,” Rubio said.
The State Department did not immediately identify any individuals affected by the new measures.
The latest decision follows a series of disputes between the two countries since Trump returned to office. The US president has criticised South Africa’s land reform and employment policies, while also questioning allegations of discrimination against white South Africans.
In 2025, Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a meeting at the White House over claims of a “white genocide” in the country, allegations South African authorities have rejected as misleading. Trump has also imposed trade measures against South Africa and skipped a G20 summit hosted in Johannesburg.
The US administration has cut aid to South Africa, expelled its ambassador, and created a programme that allows some white Afrikaners to relocate to the United States after claiming they face persecution.
South Africa has rejected claims of systematic persecution, saying its policies are aimed at correcting economic inequalities created during apartheid.
Meanwhile, Pretoria has sought to ease trade tensions with Washington by offering a new trade agreement as it tries to avoid higher tariffs that could affect businesses and worsen unemployment.
The visa restrictions mark another setback in relations between the two countries, which have historically maintained close diplomatic and economic ties.
