Trump administration hits South Africa with new sanctions over alleged discrimination against whites
The Trump administration has announced new travel restrictions on South African officials it accuses of being responsible for discrimination against white people and other minority groups, escalating tensions between Washington and Pretoria.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the United States would revoke visas or reject visa applications from foreign nationals found to be responsible for, or complicit in, laws and policies that permit uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination or the incitement of violence against minority ethnic and racial groups in South Africa.
"The United States will not allow such behavior to go unchecked," Rubio said in a statement, adding that such actions "directly undermine peace, economic stability, and the rule of law".
The South African government has strongly rejected US allegations of discrimination against whites, describing claims repeatedly made by the Trump administration since the president returned to office last year as baseless and based on misinformation.
Rubio did not name any officials who would be affected by the visa restrictions. A lobby group representing white South Africans has previously called for sanctions against officials of the African National Congress, the party of President Cyril Ramaphosa and the largest party in Parliament.
The latest measures add to a series of actions by the Trump administration against South Africa over allegations that the country's Black-led government discriminates against whites, particularly Afrikaners.
Afrikaners are largely descended from Dutch and French colonial settlers who arrived in South Africa in the 17th century and were central to the country's former apartheid system of racial segregation.
South Africa has about 4.5 million white residents in a population of roughly 62 million, including people of British and other European heritage.
The US has pointed to several South African policies as evidence of what it describes as anti-white discrimination. These include a law allowing the expropriation of unused private land without compensation in certain circumstances and affirmative action measures designed to expand opportunities for Black South Africans and other historically disadvantaged groups.
Washington has also cited a small number of violent attacks on white farmers.
The Trump administration has separately criticised South Africa for bringing a case against US ally Israel at the United Nations' top court, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel strongly denies the allegation.
During Trump's second term, the United States has taken several other measures against South Africa over what it describes as anti-white and anti-American policies.
These have included barring South African officials from meetings of the Group of 20 economic bloc during its US presidency this year and phasing out aid for South Africa's HIV treatment programme.
Washington has also established a refugee programme for Afrikaners and other white South Africans, claiming they face a humanitarian emergency in the country.
The US has said its sanctions are aimed at pushing South Africa to change its policies.
"This visa restriction policy is only the first step in a series of escalatory measures that will show America's firm resolve in this matter," the official US ambassador to South Africa account posted on X on Wednesday.
