The United States has accused South Africa of harassing American employees and publishing passport details of its officials, issuing a warning of "severe consequences". South Africa has denied these claims, stating that it treats "matters of data security with the utmost seriousness" and operates under stringent legal and diplomatic protocols.
This dispute follows a raid conducted by South African authorities on a centre processing applications for refugee status in the US by white South Africans. The raid resulted in the expulsion of seven Kenyan individuals for working illegally in the country. South Africa stated that no US officials were arrested and that the operation was not carried out at a diplomatic site. Conversely, the US State Department "condemned in the strongest terms the South African government's recent detention of US officials performing their duties to provide humanitarian support to Afrikaners."
South Africa's home affairs department described the US accusations as "unsubstantiated". The South African government also expressed concern that foreign officials appeared to have coordinated with undocumented workers at the raided centre and has initiated discussions with the US and Kenya to resolve the matter.
Tensions between the two countries have been observed since the Trump administration took office. The US administration has reduced its global refugee intake but has prioritized Afrikaners, stating that this community faces persecution. South Africa's government has rejected these claims. US President Donald Trump has claimed that Afrikaners are being subjected to a "genocide" in South Africa, a claim for which no evidence suggests white farmers are disproportionately targeted for killing compared to their black counterparts.
President Trump offered Afrikaners refugee status earlier this year following South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's signing of a law that allows for land expropriation without compensation in specific circumstances. A first group of approximately 50 people has since relocated to the US. Due to the historical legacy of the apartheid system, the majority of privately owned farmland in South Africa is held by the white community. The South African government is under pressure to redistribute land to black farmers, though it maintains that no land has yet been seized under the new law.
Previous efforts by South Africa to mend relations with the Trump administration, including a high-level delegation led by President Ramaphosa to the White House, did not result in an improvement in relations as Trump presented images, videos, and news reports related to alleged persecution of white people. The US also boycotted a G20 summit in South Africa last month and has stated it would not invite South African officials to its meetings since taking over the leadership of the G20 group of major economies.