Marco Rubio says "rural crime, violent and dehumanizing rhetoric" about threats to Afrikaners

The Trump administration this week placed visa limits on South African officials, citing alleged bias against the country’s white residents and warning further penalties could follow. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Pretoria had not done enough to counter dangers and hostile expression aimed at Afrikaners. South Africa rejected his characterization of the 2025 Expropriation Act as permitting property seizures without payment, saying the law aims to align land acquisition with the post-apartheid constitution and no expropriation has occurred under it. Pretoria also said offenses are not aimed at people because of race and that most murder victims are Black; data from an Afrikaner farmers’ union does not support genocide claims. The dispute adds to tensions over land, crime, and Black economic empowerment rules, with the US ambassador calling the visa policy a first step.