South Africa Criticizes New US Visa Restrictions

South Africa on Wednesday criticized new US visa restrictions, saying the measures reflected a misrepresentation of the country’s domestic policies by fringe groups.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the restrictions on Tuesday, renewing tensions between Washington and Pretoria after several months of relative calm.

Relations have been strained since last year by President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that white South Africans face systemic persecution.

White South Africans are, on average, significantly wealthier and more likely to be employed than black South Africans. The policies criticized by Trump are intended to address inequalities inherited from the apartheid era.

South Africa’s foreign ministry described Washington’s approach as a distortion of the country’s domestic policies. It emphasized South Africa’s sovereign right to enact laws addressing centuries of racial injustice and called for continued diplomatic dialogue.

It remains unclear who will be affected by the restrictions. The US said they would target foreign nationals responsible for, or complicit in, laws and policies that enable race-based discrimination but did not name specific individuals.

The US ambassador to South Africa described the restrictions as the first step in a series of escalating measures and warned of serious consequences. The Trump administration has already barred South Africa from attending the G20 summit in Miami in December, despite the country being one of the group’s founding members.

Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola was en route to the US on Wednesday to attend the UN General Assembly in New York.

(Reuters, bak)