UNITED STATES CONDEMNS SA GOVERNMENT OVER DETENTION OF ITS OFFICIALS

Thu 18 December 2025:

The United States has issued a strong condemnation of the South African government’s recent detention of US Officials in relation to an operation conducted by Home Affairs and law enforcement officials in Johannesburg, in which seven Kenyans were arrested, SABC News reported.

They had allegedly violated the country’s immigration laws.

The Office of the State Department spokesperson referred to the action by South African immigration officials as an attempt to intimidate US government personnel who were in South Africa on official business.

The statement says the US will not tolerate such behaviour towards government officials or towards any of its citizens legally and peacefully operating abroad.

The threatening statement further says that failure by the South African government to hold accountable those officials responsible would result in severe consequences and called on the government to take immediate action to bring this situation under control.

South Africa has said no US officials were arrested in the raid, which was not carried out at a diplomatic site. South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said the US employing workers with the proper documentation “raises serious questions about intent and diplomatic protocol”.

The Trump administration has for months heaped pressure on the government of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, claiming it tacitly supports the persecution of white Afrikaner farmers in the country. The allegations had previously gained traction in far-right circles.

Ramaphosa has roundly rejected the claims, with top elected officials, including Afrikaner leaders, decrying the allegations as misinformation at a raucous White House gathering in May.

Nevertheless, the Trump administration has continued to relocate members of the Afrikaner community via the US refugee programme.

That comes as the administration has staunched refugee admittances for nearly all other nationalities, dropping admittances to a historic low of 7,500 for 2026, in what rights groups have decried as blatant racism.

The Trump administration has previously expelled South Africa’s ambassador to the US, boycotted the G20 summit in Johannesburg and excluded South Africa from attending the event next year in Miami.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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