US restricts visas over South Africa race and land policies

The United States announced new visa restrictions targeting certain foreign nationals linked to South African policies that the US says discriminate against racial minorities and could allow land to be expropriated without compensation.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures on Tuesday, saying the South African government had failed to address concerns previously raised by the Trump administration.

The restrictions will apply to people the US says promote race-based discrimination, incite violence or support the confiscation of land without compensation. No individuals were named when the policy was announced, and the measures do not amount to a blanket visa ban on South African citizens.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused South Africa of discriminating against its white Afrikaner minority. He has also described the situation as a "genocide", despite a lack of evidence supporting that claim.

At the center of the dispute is South Africa's land reform programme, which is part of the country's efforts to redress inequity in land ownership stemming from decades of racial dispossession under colonialism and apartheid.

A 2017 land audit report found that white South Africans, who account for less than 7.3% of the population, owned 72% of farms and agricultural holdings held by individuals, while Black Africans owned 4%. The law, which is not yet operational, allows authorities to expropriate land if it is in the public interests and permits zero compensation in few specified circumstances when it is just and equitable. Authorities are generally required to attempt to reach an agreement with property owners before expropriation, while disputes can be taken to court.

Ties between the two nations have nosedived since Trump took office last year, with the US leader cutting aid, expelling the South African ambassador and offering "refuge" to white South Africans fleeing what he says is "persecution".

Pretoria has defended its land reform policies and accused the US of misrepresenting South Africa's domestic affairs.

(With input from wires)