South Africa says US visa restrictions are unclear — Daily Maverick
South Africa said it does not understand the US decision to impose targeted visa restrictions on unnamed citizens of the country. Special adviser to President Cyril Ramaphosa, Alister Ruiters, said Pretoria is negotiating with Washington over its five domestic policy demands.
As Daily Maverick reports, on September 15, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions for South Africans whom the United States links to racial discrimination, incitement to imminent violence, and land expropriation without compensation. Washington claims these actions were directed against Afrikaners and other minorities in South Africa.
Washington's five demands
According to Ruiters, US Ambassador to South Africa Brent Bozell acknowledged in an interview with Business Day that Pretoria had resolved two issues. The first concerned non-interference in the administration of President Donald Trump's program to grant Afrikaners refugee status in the United States. The second was expropriation without compensation: Ruiters noted that the relevant process is under consideration by the Constitutional Court.
Ruiters said that South African authorities continue to work on three other demands: the policy of broadening economic rights and opportunities for the Black population, the issue of the song Kill the Boer, and the security of white farmers. According to him, the national rural safety strategy has been implemented at 893 of the 900 designated police stations.
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Ramaphosa's letter unanswered
On August 27, Bozell delivered an oral message from Trump to Ramaphosa. After that, on September 12, the South African president sent the US leader a letter with responses regarding the five demands. Ruiters said Pretoria has still not received a direct response to this letter and learned about the visa restrictions from Rubio's statement and the ambassador's public comments.
Ruiters stressed that South Africa is ready to continue the dialogue, but decisions in the country are made through constitutional procedures, including regulation and public consultations. He also said that the United States has eight additional geopolitical demands, but negotiations on them can begin only after the five domestic policy issues are resolved.
According to the South African president's adviser, Ramaphosa confirmed in his letter to Trump his readiness to develop trade relations, continue supplying critical minerals to the United States, and discuss new projects to strengthen supply chains.
