The State Department is restricting U.S. entry for certain South Africans it says are involved in race-based discrimination, uncompensated land seizures or incitement against minorities, while Pretoria rejects Washington’s characterization of its domestic policies.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Trump administration has imposed new visa restrictions targeting certain South Africans as Washington escalates pressure on Pretoria over allegations of discrimination against Afrikaners and other racial minorities.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the policy Tuesday, saying the United States would restrict entry for foreign nationals the administration determines are responsible for or complicit in race-based discrimination, policies allowing uncompensated land expropriation or incitement of violence against minority racial or ethnic groups in South Africa.
The names of individuals affected by the restrictions were not publicly released. The federal government generally is not required to disclose the identities of people denied visas under such authorities, according to a New York Times report.
Rubio said the administration remains “gravely concerned about racially motivated crime and government-sponsored discrimination occurring against the Afrikaners and other minority populations in South Africa.”
The restrictions apply to selected individuals rather than South Africans generally. Rubio said the policy covers people involved in implementing or enforcing measures the administration considers discriminatory as well as those it believes are responsible for promoting violence against minority communities.
The action is the latest development in a dispute between President Donald Trump’s administration and the South African government over land policy, violent crime and affirmative-action programs.
Trump last year accused South African authorities of confiscating land from Afrikaners, a predominantly white ethnic minority descended mainly from Dutch, French and German settlers, and of failing to protect them from killings. Trump has described the situation as a genocide.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government have rejected that characterization and denied that white South Africans are being systematically targeted by the government. South African officials have said U.S. claims about racial persecution misrepresent the country’s laws and conditions.
South Africa has a population of approximately 62 million, including about 4.5 million white residents. The country remains deeply affected by economic and racial disparities rooted in its history of apartheid, the system of legally enforced racial segregation that ended in the 1990s.
Among the policies cited by the Trump administration is South Africa’s land-expropriation law, which permits property to be taken without compensation under certain circumstances. The administration has also pointed to race-conscious economic policies and violent crimes involving white farmers as evidence supporting its concerns about the treatment of minorities.
The South African government disputes Washington’s interpretation, maintaining that the expropriation law does not authorize indiscriminate confiscation of white-owned property and that violent crime affects South Africans across racial groups.
Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola responded to the new restrictions by accusing Washington of misrepresenting South African policy and aligning itself with “fringe groups.”
South Africa’s foreign ministry said it had received the U.S. announcement “with concern” and maintained that the administration’s position reflected what Pretoria considers an inaccurate portrayal of the country’s domestic affairs.
The dispute has widened beyond visas.
Since Trump returned to office, his administration has taken several actions against South Africa while citing concerns about the treatment of Afrikaners and disagreements with Pretoria over foreign and domestic policy. The United States has also established a refugee program for Afrikaners and other South Africans whom the administration determines face persecution.
Washington has additionally clashed with Pretoria over South Africa’s international positions, including its case against Israel before the International Court of Justice concerning the war in Gaza.
The new visa restrictions mark a shift from diplomatic criticism toward measures directed at individual South Africans.
Because the administration has not identified those affected, it remains unclear how many people are subject to the restrictions or which officials, policymakers or other individuals may be denied entry.
The State Department’s stated criteria, however, make clear that the policy is intended to target individuals Washington determines played a role in race-based discrimination, uncompensated land seizures or incitement against racial minorities.
South Africa continues to reject the premise underlying the administration’s action, leaving the two governments divided not only over policy but over the basic characterization of racial conditions inside the country.
Original article
Comments