US imposes targeted visa restrictions on South Africans over land and race policies

The United States has announced new visa restrictions targeting foreign nationals linked to what Washington describes as race-based discrimination, incitement of violence and uncompensated land seizures in South Africa.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the measures would apply to people responsible for or complicit in implementing policies that enable uncompensated land seizures or racial discrimination.

The restrictions are not a blanket visa ban on South African citizens. Washington has not named specific individuals or said how many people could be affected.

The move adds to tensions between Washington and Pretoria over land reform, racial inequality and South Africa's treatment of minority groups.

South Africa says its land policies seek to address the legacy of apartheid and longstanding inequalities in land ownership. The government has also rejected US allegations of persecution of Afrikaners.

The latest measures are being imposed under a section of US immigration law allowing visa restrictions when an individual's entry could have serious adverse foreign-policy consequences.

The announcement marks another deterioration in relations between the two countries.