The United States has announced new visa restrictions targeting certain South African nationals involved in what it described as “race-based discrimination and incitement of imminent violence”.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said the US was “gravely concerned about racially motivated crime and government-sponsored discrimination occurring against the Afrikaners and other minority populations in South Africa”.
Rubio said the concerns included race-based discriminatory legislation, threats of land expropriation without compensation, and the incitement of racial violence through dehumanising chants and slogans.
President Donald Trump’s administration has repeatedly criticised South Africa over alleged racial inequality targeting Afrikaners, descendants mainly of Dutch and French settlers.
“The United States will not allow such behaviour to go unchecked,” Rubio said.
The secretary of state said the South African government had failed to adequately address the US concerns, prompting the visa restrictions.
However, South Africa has denied the allegations.
Ronald Lamola, South Africa’s foreign minister, said he noted the announcement with “concern”, describing it as aligned with the “mischaracterisation of South Africa’s domestic policies”.
Nearly all refugees resettled in the US since last October were South African.
Trump said resettling Afrikaners in the US would help strengthen national security and public safety.
