- Minister Lamola rejected the U.S. visa restrictions on Sept. 16, 2026, calling them unilateral and misplaced.
- Marco Rubio said the policy targets people linked to race-based discrimination, uncompensated land seizures, and imminent violence.
- South Africa says the dispute should be handled through constitutional institutions and rule of law, not external pressure.
South Africa’s international relations minister, Ronald Lamola, pushed back on Sept. 16, 2026 after the United States announced new US visa restrictions aimed at foreign nationals Washington says are responsible for or complicit in laws or policies enabling race-based discrimination, uncompensated land seizures and imminent violence against minority ethnic or racial groups. He called the move unilateral and said it misread South Africa’s domestic policies and sovereignty. No names appeared.
Minister Lamola said he had noted the step “with concern” and accused fringe groups of misrepresenting South Africa’s policy debates while claiming to speak for minorities and Afrikaners. He said Pretoria expected the same respect for its democracy and sovereignty that it gives others. The rebuke landed quickly.
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the policy on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2026.
"The South African government has not adequately addressed the previously laid out concerns and so today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy," Rubio said.
He said the measure would reach people responsible for, or complicit in, race-based discrimination and incitement of imminent violence. He also cited uncompensated land seizures. The initial announcement named no one.
The policy sits under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Washington said it may also extend to certain family members of targeted individuals. That widened the circle.
South Africa’s department said the government remained committed to addressing past injustices through its constitutional and democratic framework. Chrispin Phiri said Pretoria respected the United States’ right to hold different views, but wanted the row handled “through our constitutional institutions, democratic processes and the rule of law.” The department also said crime and insecurity affect all South Africans, not a single racial group. That was deliberate.
South Africa says the fight belongs inside its institutions
The dispute also echoes older friction over land reform and race. South African officials say their land and equity policies answer apartheid-era and historical inequalities inside the constitution, not outside it. The latest clash followed President Donald Trump’s executive order of Feb. 7, 2025. The tension never fully vanished.
Lamola was traveling to the United States for the U.N. General Assembly in New York as the issue escalated. That gave the dispute a sharper diplomatic edge. Pretoria continued to seek dialogue rather than escalation.
The United States did not publicly identify any people covered by the policy. It framed the step around individuals linked to the contested policies, while leaving the names off the public announcement. The circle stayed broad.
Lamola said ongoing bilateral talks showed “the importance both countries placed on finding a lasting solution.” He put the row inside a wider effort to keep channels open. The talks continue.
