Africa-Press – South-Africa. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new policy to restrict visa issuance targeting certain foreign nationals from South Africa, amid the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to lower diplomatic relations with the country.
The Trump administration has criticized South Africa over a range of issues, including measures aimed at addressing racial inequality, which Trump claims harm the white population in the African nation.
Washington has also condemned land reform policies and the genocide lawsuit that South Africa filed against Israel at the International Court of Justice, in light of the genocide carried out by U.S. ally Israel in Gaza.
Rubio stated in a statement that the visa restriction policy targets “foreign nationals responsible for – or complicit in – enacting or enforcing laws or policies that allow for land seizure without compensation, or that discriminate based on race, and/or incite imminent violence against individuals from racial or ethnic minorities in South Africa.” He added, “The South African government has not adequately addressed the concerns raised previously.”
Pretoria asserts that there is no evidence of discrimination or persecution against whites, and that white supremacy poses a threat to post-apartheid South Africa’s unity, national sovereignty, and diplomatic relations. President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for global efforts to counter false narratives about the persecution of whites.
Trump has previously cut aid to South Africa, offered asylum to the white “Afrikaner” minority, expelled the country’s ambassador, and made false claims about a genocide against whites in the African nation. Rubio’s statement on Tuesday did not name any individuals specifically. Although South Africa records one of the highest murder rates in the world, the majority of victims are Black.
