The US has announced visa restrictions targeting people it accuses of discriminating against South Africa's white minority, the latest escalation in tensions between the two countries. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who announced the measures on Tuesday, said the South African government "has not adequately addressed the previously laid out concerns." He did not immediately name any individuals targeted, the BBC reported.
Who do the restrictions target? Rubio said they would apply to those who promote "race-based discrimination, incite violence, or enable land confiscation without compensation in South Africa." In a separate social media post, he accused South Africa's government of pursuing "racial grievance against the Afrikaner minority" and said those responsible for what he described as injustices "have no place in the United States." The measures are being imposed under a provision of US immigration law that allows the secretary of state to bar foreign nationals whose entry is considered potentially damaging to US foreign policy interests.
How has South Africa responded? Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola voiced "concern" over the announcement. A statement from the international relations and co-operation ministry said it "aligns with the mischaracterisation of South Africa's domestic policies by fringe groups who wrongly portray themselves as representatives of 'minorities' and Afrikaners in general." In a statement on Wednesday, the government said: "It is our sovereign right to put in place laws that address the nation's concern over centuries of racial injustice." It has repeatedly rejected allegations that it is persecuting white people or confiscating their land.
What led to this? Relations have been on a downward spiral since President 
Donald Trump returned to office early last year, with the US leader cutting aid, expelling the South African ambassador and offering "refuge" to white South Africans, the BBC reported. Trump offered refugee status to Afrikaners after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a law allowing the government to seize land without compensation in rare instances. When Ramaphosa visited the White House in May last year, Trump ambushed the Oval Office meeting with claims that white South African farmers were being killed and "persecuted", producing unsubstantiated evidence that has been widely discredited. In August, South Africa was hit with 30% tariffs on goods exported to the US, the highest rate in sub-Saharan Africa.
What comes next? The US embassy in Pretoria said Washington believed dialogue with South Africa had run its course. It warned: "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."
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
