South Africa Rejects New US Visa Curbs as Tensions Flare Again

South Africa has pushed back against new visa restrictions imposed by the United States, describing them as rooted in claims by fringe groups that wrongly present themselves as speaking for the country's white minority.

The measures, announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, mark a renewed downturn in relations between Washington and Pretoria after several months of comparative calm. Ties have been strained since last year by repeated assertions from US President Donald Trump that white South Africans are victims of systemic persecution.

In reality, white South Africans are on average considerably wealthier and more likely to hold jobs than Black South Africans. The policies that have drawn US criticism are designed to tackle inequalities inherited from the apartheid era.

South Africa's foreign ministry said the announcement again misrepresented the country's domestic policies, adding that it is the nation's sovereign right to enact laws responding to centuries of racial injustice. It called for continued engagement through diplomatic channels.

The US has not identified which individuals would be affected by the restrictions. Washington said the measures target foreign nationals deemed responsible for, or complicit in, laws and policies that permit race-based discrimination, but named no one.

Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola was travelling to the United States to attend the UN General Assembly in New York, a ministry official said.

The US Ambassador to South Africa said in a post on X that the visa restrictions were only the first step in a series of escalating measures, adding that the time for endless dialogue had run its course and that the consequences would necessarily be severe.

Washington has already barred South Africa from attending the G20 summit in Miami in December, even though South Africa is a founding member of the grouping.