South Africa said it remains willing to engage the United States on disputes over investor rules tied to Black employment and ownership despite being surprised by recent U.S. visa restrictions. Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said talks — including how to accommodate new U.S. mining investors — were underway when the visa curbs were announced. Lamola criticized a U.S. resettlement program for white Afrikaners as race-based but said Pretoria would not interfere, and he urged that South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel be decided by the court.
South Africa Says It Remains Open To Talks With U.S. After Surprise Visa Curbs, Says FM Lamola
South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola stands for photograph at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 25, 2026. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
NEW YORK, Sept 25 (Reuters) - South Africa said on Friday it remains willing to engage the United States on a range of outstanding disputes — including rules affecting foreign investors’ obligations on Black employment and ownership — despite expressing surprise at last week’s U.S. visa restrictions, Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said.
Lamola told reporters on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly that the two governments had been discussing how to accommodate new U.S. entrants into South Africa’s mining sector and were making progress when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced limits on visas for some South Africans. Lamola noted Rubio did not specify which individuals would be affected.
Engagement and Economic Ties
“South Africa remains open to engage with the U.S. administration on all the issues that they have put on the table,” Lamola said, stressing that Pretoria seeks predictable and reliable partnerships and regards Washington as an important strategic partner.
South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola speaks during an interview at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 25, 2026. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
Lamola said South Africa does not want a tit-for-tat confrontation with Washington because of the significance of the bilateral economic relationship, though he described the current U.S. administration as unpredictable.
“You can't be confident of anything with the current administration, and it's not only Pretoria. I think all countries of the world, the friends and foes of the U.S., view it the same,” Lamola said.
Disagreements and Diplomatic Frictions
Washington has criticized several of Pretoria’s policies aimed at addressing racial inequality — which U.S. officials say have had adverse effects on South Africa’s white population — and is pressing South Africa on land reform and on its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
On the ICJ case, Lamola said the matter "has to have a life of its own" and should be decided by the court, with international law acting as an equalizer among nations large and small.
South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola speaks during an interview at U.N. headquarters in New York City, US, September 25, 2026. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
Resettlement Program for Afrikaners
Lamola criticized a U.S. resettlement program for white Afrikaners, calling it a "race-based" initiative and questioning whether all participants fit the refugee designation, noting that some had returned to visit South Africa after leaving. He added, however, that Pretoria would not block or interfere with South Africans who choose to participate in the program.
Aftermath of Visa Measures
After the U.S. announcement on Sept. 15, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa described the visa curbs as "only the first step in a series of escalatory measures" and said the time for endless dialogue had ended. Lamola pushed back on that framing, saying diplomats should not declare the end of dialogue and noting only Washington can say whether the bilateral relationship will recover.
(Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
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