US Imposes Targeted Visa Restrictions on South Africans Over Alleged Minorities Discrimination
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced a new visa restriction policy targeting South African individuals accused of engaging in “government-sponsored discrimination” against Afrikaners and other minority communities.
The restrictions will specifically penalize those deemed responsible for implementing race-based discriminatory legislation, threatening land expropriation without compensation, or inciting racial violence through dehumanizing chants and slogans.
While Washington did not release specific names or confirm if government officials have been penalised yet, political figures like Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema have previously been called out by US President Donald Trump over public performances of the controversial chant "Dubul' ibhunu" ("Kill the Boer"). The US administration continues to demand an explicit, public condemnation of the phrase from both the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African government.
Rubio’s announcement aligns with conservative criticisms, strongly championed by Trump, regarding South Africa's treatment of the white Afrikaner minority. The Trump administration has taken particular issue with 2025 land legislation designed to ease property expropriation without compensation in targeted circumstances.
Tensions between the two nations have mounted since Trump’s return to office:
The US suspended financial aid to South Africa and offered refugee status to Afrikaners.
Former South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was expelled from Washington after describing Trump's supporters as part of a "supremacist movement".
US officials continue to push Pretoria to address rural farm violence and repeal policies Washington views as discriminatory.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended his administration's policies, emphasizing that measures aimed at improving the economic standing of the Black majority are being fundamentally misconstrued. To rebuild strained diplomatic ties, Ramaphosa appointed veteran negotiator and former apartheid-era negotiator Roelf Meyer as US ambassador earlier this year.
Neither the South African Embassy in Washington nor its consulate in New York immediately responded to requests for comment following the announcement.
SOURCE: MYBROADBAND
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