A Warning from the Frontlines: Why a South African Activist’s US Detention Matters

What should have been a triumphant return from Canada turned into a hours-long ordeal for one of South Africa’s most respected activists. Zackie Achmat, traveling back to Cape Town via the United States, was detained and interrogated by US Customs and Border Protection agents, causing him to miss his connecting flight and vowing never to set foot in the country again.

His experience has prompted a stark warning from a former South African ambassador to the US: people of color need to be extremely cautious when traveling to America.

“I Don’t Want to Go Into Your Country”

Achmat, 63, was returning from Montreal where he had finally accepted the inaugural Paul Farmer Award for Global Health Equity in person. The honor recognized his lifelong work in social justice. Yet, at the airport, he was treated not as a distinguished honoree, but as a security threat.

The questioning began bizarrely. “A very dumpy MAGA member… asked me whether I was carrying anything biological,” Achmat recounted. When he asked for clarification, the agent would not elaborate. The interrogation then shifted to his activities and contacts in Canada.

Despite his growing frustration, Achmat remained civil. “I actually just said I was with friends, and I stayed at a hotel,” he explained. The agent repeatedly insisted on knowing what he planned to do in the United States, to which Achmat repeatedly clarified, “I’m not going to the United States. I’m going to Cape Town.”

His patience finally ran out. “I said, ‘I don’t have anything more to tell you’. So they said, ‘Come with me’.” He was taken to a holding area, his luggage was delayed for over two hours, and he missed his flight home. The final outcome of his ordeal was a firm decision: “I’m going to write to the US ambassador to South Africa… I don’t want to set foot in your country ever again.”

A Pattern, Not an Isolated Incident

For former Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, this was not a one-off event. He sees it as part of a disturbing pattern. “People of colour from SA and even elsewhere are special targets for such treatment, whereas a white South African will enjoy special privileges and a great welcome,” Rasool stated.

He pointed to a “supremacist instinct” at work in US border agencies, citing the targeting of Hispanics for deportation and Muslims for surveillance. He believes someone like Achmat, with a high-profile history of anti-racist and social justice activism, carries an “additional target” on his back, as his public stance is likely monitored through social media.

In the current climate of political tension between the Trump administration and South Africa, Rasool’s advice is unequivocal: people of color must take “special precautions,” including having lawyers on standby and ensuring family can track their journey.

While some analysts, like Professor Isaac Khambule, suggest the incident could be isolated, the underlying warning resonates. For many South Africans, and particularly for those who are not white, traveling to the US now requires a new level of vigilance, transforming a simple transit stop into a potentially fraught encounter.

{Source: IOL}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com