US Visa Curbs Target South Africans Over Race-Based Policies

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions on South African officials tied to race-based discrimination and land seizures.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 a new visa restriction policy targeting foreign nationals from South Africa. The policy bars entry to people 'responsible for, or complicit in, the enactment or implementation of laws or policies that enable uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination, and/or the incitement of imminent violence against members of minority ethnic or racial groups in South Africa.' Rubio said the move responds to the South African government's failure to 'adequately address the previously laid out concerns,' which include rural crime and what the administration calls dehumanising rhetoric against Afrikaners.

The State Department said in its statement that 'the United States will not allow such behaviour to go unchecked,' arguing the targeted actions 'directly undermine peace, economic stability, and the rule of law' and are incompatible with pillars of American foreign policy. No individuals were named in Rubio's announcement.

This is a dramatic escalation in a relationship that was once a strategic partnership. Relations between Washington and Pretoria have soured since the start of Donald Trump's second term, with the president criticizing South Africa over land reform policies, its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and racial inequality measures he claims hurt the country's white population. Trump has previously cut aid, offered refuge to white minority Afrikaners, expelled South Africa's ambassador and made false claims of white genocide in the country — claims Pretoria flatly rejects, saying there is no evidence of persecution of white people and that most murder victims in South Africa are Black.

The State Department did not identify any person by name, and according to Daily Maverick, diplomatic sources indicate no list of targeted individuals will be made public — people will only learn they have been sanctioned when they apply for a visa or try to travel. Daily Maverick notes past indications that EFF leader Julius Malema and possibly some ANC leaders could be targets.

South Africa had last month offered a 'generous' new trade deal to the United States seeking to avoid hefty tariffs threatening job losses on top of a dire unemployment crisis. Domestically, AfriForum welcomed the measures, while DA MP Ryan Smith acknowledged ANC policies have not served the public. The ANC and South Africa's foreign ministry said statements would be issued soon.

Pretoria's response will shape whether the escalation deepens. President Cyril Ramaphosa has previously called for global efforts to debunk false stories about white persecution and described Trump's Afrikaner refugee policy as 'uninformed' and 'racist,' according to Daily Maverick. Ramaphosa has also rejected Trump's 'white genocide' claims as 'blatant misinformation,' eNCA reports. Ambassador Bozell's warning of further measures suggests the dispute will not stay confined to visas, and Rubio's statement 'strongly' urged the South African government to 'quickly address these egregious actions' — leaving Pretoria to decide between confrontation and concession.