US steps up pressure on South Africa with new visa restrictions

The United States has escalated its dispute with South Africa by announcing targeted visa restrictions against foreign nationals Washington says are responsible for, or complicit in, policies involving uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination or the incitement of imminent violence against minority racial or ethnic groups.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the policy on September 15, 2026, invoking Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a provision that allows visa restrictions where an individual’s entry is considered to have potentially serious consequences for U.S. foreign policy. Reuters reported that the measure forms part of the Trump administration’s continuing deterioration of relations with Pretoria.

The immediate significance of the announcement, however, lies in what Washington has not disclosed. No individuals were publicly named, while details on the evidence threshold, investigative process and precise criteria for determining individual responsibility remain limited.

The first target is South Africa’s land policy. Washington has linked the new restrictions to policies it believes permit property to be taken without compensation.

The second is race-based discrimination, covering individuals the United States determines were responsible for or complicit in discriminatory laws or policies.

The third concern Washington says amounts to incitement of imminent violence against minority racial or ethnic groups.

The policy therefore does not amount to a blanket visa ban on South Africans. Instead, it is designed as an individualised foreign-policy instrument targeting people Washington identifies as meeting its criteria.

A Dispute Rooted in Land Reform

The latest move follows President Donald Trump’s February 7, 2025, Executive Order 14204, which accused South Africa of enabling the uncompensated seizure of agricultural property belonging to ethnic-minority Afrikaners.

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The order also criticised what the White House described as discriminatory practices in employment, education and business, while raising concerns over South Africa’s foreign policy, including its relationship with Iran and its legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

South Africa’s land debate, however, is considerably broader than the U.S. administration’s description. It encompasses historical dispossession, constitutional property rights, land redistribution and efforts to address racial inequality.

Consequently, Washington’s characterisation represents the U.S. government’s position rather than a settled assessment of South Africa’s domestic legal and political debate.

Who Will Actually Be Targeted?

The wording “responsible for, or complicit in” creates another unresolved question.

It remains unclear whether future restrictions will focus primarily on senior government officials, legislators, administrators, political actors or others involved in implementing disputed policies.

The reference to family members also raises questions about how far the restrictions could extend and what relationship would trigger a visa consequence.

The lack of publicly identified individuals means the policy’s immediate impact remains difficult to measure.

Visa Power as a Foreign-Policy Weapon

Section 212(a)(3)(C) gives Washington a mechanism to impose immigration consequences without imposing broad economic sanctions on an entire country. Congressional records describe the provision as covering foreign nationals whose entry could have potentially serious foreign-policy consequences for the United States.

The approach has previously been used for targeted visa restrictions involving other countries, including measures concerning Nigeria’s democratic process.

The policy’s effectiveness will therefore depend less on the announcement itself than on its implementation.

For South Africa, the critical questions now are who will be named, what evidence will be used, how the criteria will be applied and whether Washington will expand the measures into broader diplomatic or economic actions.

The next stage could determine whether the September announcement remains a narrowly targeted visa policy or becomes another significant escalation in an increasingly strained U.S.-South Africa relationship.