South Africa’s Foreign Ministry urges US to respect sovereignty after visa restrictions
The government of the Republic of South Africa has called on the United States to respect the country’s sovereignty after Washington introduced targeted visa restrictions for South Africans. Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola said South Africa has the sovereign right to adopt laws to overcome the consequences of centuries of racial injustice, Daily Maverick reports.
South African government’s position
Lamola responded to a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on visa restrictions targeting individuals whom Washington considers responsible for or involved in adopting or implementing laws and policies providing for land expropriation without compensation, racial discrimination, or incitement to imminent violence against members of ethnic or racial minorities in South Africa.
Rubio referred to an executive order by US President Donald Trump from February 2025, which concerned discrimination against Afrikaners and other minorities in South Africa. The Trump administration also raised issues of Black economic empowerment policies, expropriation without compensation, the “Kill the Boer” slogan, and farm killings.
The minister said that disagreements between countries should be resolved through constructive dialogue between government representatives rather than unilateral actions. According to him, crime in South Africa affects all residents of the country, rather than specific groups based on race, skin color, or social origin.
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Reactions and assessments
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel welcomed the visa restrictions. He said they were not directed against ordinary South African citizens, but against politicians and other individuals whom the organization considers guilty of gross violations of the rights of minorities and Afrikaners.
At the same time, the Afrikaners vir Suid-Afrika organization criticized the US decision, calling it an escalation of the dispute between the two countries. It said that decisions on the country’s laws should be made by South African courts, not foreign governments. The organization also noted that the law on expropriation without compensation is being challenged in court.
Bob Wekesa, director of the African Centre for the Study of the United States at the University of the Witwatersrand, expressed the view that Washington had decided to increase pressure on South Africa. In his opinion, the visa restrictions may be the first step in a series of further US actions, including possible economic measures.
Anthony van Nieuwkerk, head of international relations at the Thabo Mbeki School of Public and International Affairs, suggested that the Trump administration’s ultimate goal may be to change the government in South Africa and replace the African National Congress-led government with one more friendly to the United States. This is an expert assessment, not an established fact.
