Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said South Africa remains open to talks with the US despite surprise US visa curbs. Discussions on accommodating new US entrants to South Africa’s mining sector had been progressing when Washington announced the restrictions.
Rules for foreign investors concerning Black employment and ownership are among the disputes. Washington has also pressed Pretoria over land reform and South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Lamola said the court should decide the case and Pretoria would not retaliate against Washington given their economic ties.
The US announced the visa restrictions on September 15, citing concerns about South African laws and policies, but did not identify who would be subject to the ban. The US ambassador called them “only the first step” in escalating measures and said dialogue had run its course. Lamola called Washington’s resettlement program for white Afrikaners “race-based,” while saying Pretoria would not interfere with South Africans who choose to participate.
