South African and US leaders hold talks during a bilateral meeting at the White House. Photo: Reuters

NNA News - South Africa has rejected new visa restrictions announced by the United States, saying Washington has mischaracterised the country's domestic policies and that differences between the two governments should be addressed through diplomatic engagement.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the restrictions on Tuesday, targeting foreign nationals whom Washington says are responsible for or complicit in policies involving race-based discrimination, uncompensated land seizures and the incitement of violence against minority groups in South Africa. “The United States remains gravely concerned about racially motivated crime and government-sponsored discrimination occurring against the Afrikaners and other minority populations in South Africa,” Rubio said.

He cited what the US describes as “race-based discriminatory legislation, threats of land expropriation without compensation, and incitement of racial violence through dehumanizing chants and slogans”. Rubio said the restrictions were being imposed under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the US Secretary of State to restrict the entry of foreign nationals where their admission could have potentially serious adverse foreign-policy consequences for the United States.

The restrictions are targeted at specified foreign nationals and do not amount to a general visa ban on South African citizens. The US announcement did not identify the individuals who could be affected.

South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola said Pretoria was concerned by what he described as another misrepresentation of South Africa's domestic policies. “The announcement once again aligns with the mischaracterisation of South Africa's domestic policies by fringe groups who wrongly portray themselves as representatives of ‘minorities’ and Afrikaners in general,” Lamola said.

He said South Africa recognised that Washington could hold different views on its policies, but expected its sovereignty, democracy and Constitution to be respected. “We remain committed to addressing these challenges through our constitutional institutions, democratic processes and the rule of law, intending to build a more equal and inclusive society for all South Africans,” Lamola said.

He added that the two countries' ongoing discussions showed the importance both governments placed on finding a lasting solution. “We maintain that challenges in our bilateral relations with the United States can only be resolved by constructive engagement through state actors on both sides of the diplomatic channel, not unilateral acts,” he said.

The latest dispute centres partly on South Africa's efforts to address racial and economic inequalities inherited from apartheid, including through land reform and Black Economic Empowerment policies. South Africa's Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 provides a legal framework for expropriation for a public purpose or in the public interest and sets out circumstances in which nil compensation may be considered. The legislation does not provide for the automatic seizure of land without compensation. Its commencement is also still to be proclaimed.

Lamola has previously defended B-BBEE as a measure aimed at addressing historical inequality. “B-BBEE is not ‘reverse racism’,” Lamola said during a March briefing, describing the policy as “a fundamental instrument designed to address the structural imbalances of South Africa's unique history”. The minister also said the United States remained an important economic partner, with about 500 US companies operating in South Africa and employing more than 250,000 people. “South Africa has been one of the largest importers of American products on the continent,” Lamola said, putting bilateral trade between the two countries at about 15 billion US dollars.

The visa restrictions add to a series of disagreements between Pretoria and Washington under US President Donald Trump, including disputes over South Africa's land policies, affirmative action, foreign policy and its approach to the conflict involving Israel. The latest move has also prompted concern that the diplomatic dispute could widen. The US ambassador to South Africa, Leo Bozell, described the restrictions as “only the first step in a series of escalatory measures”, according to Reuters.

South Africa, however, continues to maintain that its domestic policies are matters for its constitutional institutions and that disagreements with Washington should be resolved through diplomatic engagement. The latest restrictions therefore add another point of tension to a relationship in which questions of race, land, sovereignty and foreign policy have increasingly become intertwined.