US Imposes New Visa Restrictions on South Africans Over Alleged Race-Based Discrimination
The United States on Tuesday announced new restrictions on visas for South Africans, after President Donald Trump repeatedly criticised the country’s leaders over its post-apartheid racial justice policies.
Trump has lambasted South Africa’s land and employment laws that are meant to redress stark inequalities that black people still face 30 years after the end of white-minority rule.
In 2025, he berated President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office over discredited claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa.
He said the visa restrictions would target those who promote “race-based discrimination, incite violence, or enable land confiscation without compensation in South Africa.”
The announcement did not immediately name any individuals targeted by the restrictions.
South Africa said last month it would offer a “generous” new trade deal to the United States as it seeks to avoid hefty tariffs that threaten job losses on top of a dire unemployment crisis.