US curbs S. Africa visas, alleging 'race-based discrimination'

The United States has introduced new visa restrictions for South Africans, alleging race-based discrimination, following repeated criticism from former President Donald Trump towards the country's post-apartheid racial justice policies. Trump has harshly condemned South Africa's land and employment laws aimed at addressing racial inequalities that persist 30 years after the end of white minority rule.

In 2025, he accused South African President Cyril Ramaphosa of spreading false claims of a "white genocide" in the nation. The US administration has also imposed high tariffs and boycotted a G20 summit in Johannesburg, leading to a significant deterioration in bilateral relations. The new visa restrictions specifically target South Africans involved in unauthorized land seizures, race-based discrimination, and incitement of imminent violence against minority ethnic or racial groups, according to the US State Department.

Relations between the two nations have plummeted since Trump's presidency began last year, with the US cutting aid, expelling the South African ambassador, and providing refuge to white South Africans fleeing alleged persecution. Despite the US president's crackdown on immigration, he initiated a program allowing thousands of white Afrikaners to settle in the United States.

South Africa announced last month that it would offer a generous new trade deal to the US to avoid high tariffs that could result in massive job losses and exacerbate its already dire unemployment crisis.