US announces visa bans on South African officials over ‘race‑based discrimination’

The United States has announced new visa restrictions targeting foreign nationals it says are involved in race‑based discrimination and uncompensated land seizures in South Africa, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 16 September 2026.

What Washington said

Rubio framed the policy as a defence of democratic values and stability, saying the measures were necessary in response to what the United States described as racially motivated crime and government‑sponsored discrimination against Afrikaners and other minority groups in South Africa.

“The United States remains gravely concerned about racially motivated crime and government‑sponsored discrimination occurring against the Afrikaners and other minority populations in South Africa, including race‑based discriminatory legislation, threats of land expropriation without compensation, and incitement of racial violence through dehumanising chants and slogans.”

Legal basis and scope

The restrictions were announced as a new visa restriction policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. According to Rubio, the rule will bar entry to individuals judged to be responsible for, or complicit in, laws or policies that enable uncompensated land seizures, race‑based discrimination, or incitement of imminent violence against members of minority ethnic or racial groups in South Africa. The announcement said family members may also be affected.

Context and diplomatic friction

The move is described in the announcement as the Trump administration’s latest action targeting Pretoria over allegations of mistreatment of White South Africans. The South African government has rejected claims of systemic discrimination; the source quotes President Cyril Ramaphosa as saying there is “no evidence of persecution against white people” and warning that narratives of white victimhood threaten post‑apartheid unity.

The announcement is expected, in the source’s words, to deepen diplomatic strain between Washington and Pretoria, which the source links to disagreements over land reform and South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.

Related refugee policy cited

The source also notes changes to US refugee admissions under President Donald Trump earlier in his second term, saying the administration prioritised the admission of White South Africans as refugees. The source reports that, by late June, more than 7 700 Afrikaners had been admitted and that Afrikaners accounted for 99% of refugee admissions since October 2025, according to the same reporting.

The source quotes President Trump defending the shift: “We treat people very well where we see a genocide going on. Farmers in South Africa are being treated brutally, and we will not stand by.”

Officials’ response

The source reports Pretoria has previously rejected claims of systemic discrimination. The South African government’s earlier response included President Ramaphosa’s denial that white people were being persecuted, as noted above.

The source also reports that the measures were described by Rubio as necessary because such actions “directly undermine peace, economic stability, and the rule of law, and they are incompatible with the pillars of America’s foreign policy.”

What the announcement says going forward

Rubio urged the South African government to address what he called “these egregious actions.” The source says the measures will bar entry to those deemed responsible for discriminatory laws, uncompensated land seizures, or incitement of racial violence, and that family members may also be affected.