US Tightens Visa Rules For South Africans Citing Alleged Race-Based Discrimination Policies

The United States on Tuesday announced new visa restrictions targeting certain South African nationals, citing concerns over what the Trump administration described as uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination and incitement of violence against minority ethnic or racial groups. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the policy as relations between Washington and Pretoria remain strained. The restrictions are aimed at individuals whom the US government says are involved in promoting or implementing policies falling within those categories. The announcement does not identify specific individuals who will be subject to the restrictions.

The move follows repeated criticism by President Donald Trump of South Africa's policies addressing racial and economic inequalities that remain from the apartheid era. The Trump administration has particularly objected to the country's land-reform policies and employment measures designed to address disparities affecting the Black majority. Pretoria has rejected accusations that its policies amount to discrimination against white South Africans and has disputed claims of persecution of the country's Afrikaner minority. The latest visa restrictions represent another step in Washington's increasingly contentious approach to its relationship with South Africa.

Rubio said the restrictions would apply to people who promote what the US considers race-based discrimination, incite violence or enable the confiscation of land without compensation. The State Department described the targeted conduct as including actions that "enable uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination, and/or the incitement of imminent violence against members of minority ethnic or racial groups." The policy therefore focuses on particular conduct and individuals rather than announcing a blanket visa ban on South African citizens. Details on how many people could ultimately be affected were not immediately provided.

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Trump's disagreements with South Africa have extended beyond land and employment policy. In 2025, he confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House over allegations involving the treatment of white South Africans, including claims of a "white genocide" that Pretoria has rejected. The US administration has also taken other measures affecting bilateral relations, including reducing assistance to South Africa and expelling the country's ambassador from Washington. The two governments have continued to disagree over South Africa's domestic policies as well as aspects of its foreign policy.

The latest restrictions add to the broader changes in US visa and immigration policy under the Trump administration. The State Department has been reviewing visa screening and vetting procedures and has introduced restrictions affecting nationals of various countries under separate policies. The new South Africa measure is specifically tied to conduct identified by the administration rather than applying to all South African travellers. South Africa's government has maintained that its post-apartheid policies are intended to address historical inequalities and has rejected Washington's characterisation of those measures. The latest announcement is therefore likely to remain part of the wider diplomatic dispute between the two countries over race, land reform and bilateral relations.

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