Trump administration hits South Africa with new visa crackdown in escalating feud

The U.S. has introduced a new visa restriction policy targeting specific foreign nationals from South Africa, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday, marking a further diplomatic decline between Washington and Pretoria under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Relations have frayed as the Trump administration repeatedly criticizes South Africa’s government over policies designed to tackle historical racial disparities, which Trump alleges discriminate against the country's white minority.

Washington has similarly expressed opposition to South African land reform initiatives and the nation’s legal action accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice regarding its military operations in Gaza.

According to Rubio, the visa restrictions will apply to "foreign nationals who are responsible for, or complicit in, the enactment or implementation of laws or policies that enable uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination, and/or the incitement of imminent violence against members of minority ethnic or racial groups in South Africa."

The South African embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Officials in Pretoria maintain that allegations of systematic persecution or discrimination targeting white citizens are unfounded. Government representatives assert that ideologies of white supremacy endanger South Africa’s post-apartheid national cohesion, diplomatic ties, and sovereignty.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged international partners to actively counter false narratives regarding the treatment of white South Africans.

Trump has previously reduced foreign assistance to the country, proposed asylum for white Afrikaners, removed South Africa's ambassador, and promoted debunked claims of a white genocide.

This stance reflects his domestic agenda, where he has attacked diversity programs aimed at mitigating systemic inequities, characterizing such efforts as reverse discrimination against white people and men.

Rubio’s official announcement did not name any targeted individuals.

Thirty years after the fall of apartheid, minority fringe factions continue to express grievance over the loss of political dominance. While South Africa experiences elevated levels of violent crime, official data indicates that the overwhelming majority of murder victims nationwide are Black.