From land to race laws: what's driving the US-South Africa rift?

The Trump administration announced visa restrictions on South African officials this week, alleging the country discriminates against its white minority. This move is seen as the first of potentially severe punitive measures, marking another chapter in an increasingly strained relationship between Pretoria and Washington. Key sources of tension include land expropriation, crime, and black economic empowerment (BEE) laws.

South Africa's 2025 Expropriation Act, designed to replace an apartheid-era statute, allows the government to acquire private property for public purposes or in the public interest, sometimes without compensation. Critics, particularly white farming groups, argue the measure opens the door to land seizures, while legal experts note compensation is limited to narrowly defined cases.

South Africa faces significant crime issues, with about 60 murders daily, one of the highest murder rates globally. Fringe far-right groups among white South Africans claim a "white genocide," a theory supported by Trump financial backer Elon Musk. Despite this, South African officials deny racial targeting in crime.

The US government has also criticized South Africa's B-BBEE policy, which aims to increase black ownership and management representation in companies through a points-based scorecard. American companies like Microsoft and Google operate in South Africa under B-BBEE arrangements despite US opposition to race-based economic opportunities.

American companies, including Jeff Bezos-backed Amazon Leo, have expressed interest in launching services in South Africa despite the policy. The US Ambassador to South Africa called for American companies to be exempt from B-BBEE requirements.