South Africa on Wednesday hit back at new US visa restrictions over its racial equity policies, accusing the Trump administration of distorting its laws and further straining ties between Washington and one of Africa’s most influential powers.

The dispute is the latest front in a broader clash over race, trade and diplomacy that has seen Washington cut aid, impose tariffs, expel South Africa’s ambassador and boycott a G20 summit in Johannesburg, all against the unresolved legacy of white minority rule.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the new visa restrictions would target those who promote “race-based discrimination, incite violence, or enable land confiscation without compensation in South Africa”.

Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Pretoria viewed the move “with concern” and that Washington was echoing narratives promoted by fringe groups opposed to South Africa’s post-apartheid reforms.

“We reiterate that healing the divisions of the past and establishing a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights is a constitutional imperative,” Lamola said in a statement.

The US did not immediately name any individuals targeted by the restrictions but warned of further “severe” action.

“This visa restriction policy is only the first step in a series of escalatory measures that will show America’s firm resolve in this matter,” US ambassador to South Africa, Brent Bozell, said.

‘Hypocrisy’

President Donald Trump has criticised South Africa’s land reform and employment equity laws, which were introduced after the end of apartheid to address racial disparities that remain among the world’s widest.

Trump has portrayed the measures as discriminatory against Afrikaners, the white minority descended largely from Dutch settlers, a claim Pretoria rejects.

In 2025, he berated President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office over discredited claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa.

While the US president has broadly cracked down on immigration, his administration has offered refugee status to thousands of white South Africans it says face persecution.

Lamola rejected suggestions that the government was targeting any racial group, saying crime remained a national challenge affecting all South Africans.

The opposition uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, also condemned the visa restrictions, calling them an affront to South Africa’s sovereignty.

“The hypocrisy of Washington’s position is breathtaking. It lectures South Africa, while arming Israel amid the reported killing of more than 73,000 Palestinians in Gaza,” it said in a statement.

Despite the tensions, Pretoria and Washington have remained engaged in efforts to thaw relations.

“The discussions have highlighted the need for any resolution to consider South Africa’s unique circumstances and to respect its democracy, constitution, sovereignty, and the will of its people,” Lamola said.

South Africa is the largest trading partner of the US on the African continent, with more than 500 US businesses and 30,000 US citizens based in the country.

South Africa said last month it would offer a “generous” new trade deal to the United States as it seeks to avoid hefty tariffs that threaten job losses on top of a dire unemployment crisis.