US imposes visa restrictions on South Africans over discrimination claims

The United States has imposed visa restrictions on unnamed South African officials, citing what it describes as government-sponsored racial discrimination against white Afrikaners and the threat of land expropriation without compensation. The move, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday, marks a significant escalation in diplomatic tensions between Washington and Pretoria. Rubio stated in a post on X that the South African government is "destroying its economy through an obsessive pursuit of racial grievance against the Afrikaner minority." He cited race-based discriminatory policies, threats of land seizure, and the use of dehumanizing chants as reasons for the new restrictions. The U.S. did not disclose which specific individuals were targeted. U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III added that the visa restrictions are "only the first step in a series of escalatory measures that will show America's firm resolve in this matter." The announcement comes as the U.S. has already cut aid to South Africa, imposed tariffs, and barred the country from the 2026 G20 summit in Miami.