South Africa has criticised new US visa restrictions targeting certain South African nationals, accusing Washington of misrepresenting the country’s domestic policies.
The foreign ministry said on Wednesday it had noted the measures with concern after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the new restrictions a day earlier.
In a statement, the ministry said the US move reflected what it described as the “mischaracterisation of South Africa’s domestic policies by fringe groups”.
It said disputes between Pretoria and Washington should be addressed through direct diplomatic engagement rather than unilateral measures.
“We maintain that challenges in our bilateral relations with the USA can only be resolved by constructive engagement through state actors on both sides of the diplomatic channel, not unilateral acts,” the ministry said.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated during US President Donald Trump’s second term, with Trump repeatedly accusing South Africa of discriminating against its white minority.
South African authorities have rejected those claims, saying policies including affirmative action and land reform are intended to address deep economic and racial inequalities that remain from the apartheid era.
It remains unclear who will be affected by the new visa restrictions.
The US ambassador to South Africa said in a post on X earlier on Wednesday that the measures represented “only the first step in a series of escalatory measures”, signalling that further action could follow.
