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The Solidarity Movement, which includes AfriForum and Solidarity, says the latest statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio makes it clear that an urgent solution is needed to prevent the diplomatic crisis from escalating further.
 
According to the announcement, issued on 15 September 2026, visa restrictions will apply to individuals responsible for, or complicit in, laws and policies that enable expropriation without compensation and race-based discrimination, as well as to those who engage in incitement to violence against minority communities in South Africa. The US government says the South African government has failed to adequately address concerns previously raised with it.
 
The US ambassador to South Africa has also warned that the visa restrictions are the first in a series of escalating measures that the US could impose on South Africa if the government does not clearly reaffirm its commitment to maintaining lasting relations with the US. These measures could include South Africa’s removal from AGOA, trade restrictions or even sanctions.
 
Practical solutions are within reach
 
According to Flip Buys, chairman of the Solidarity Movement, a senior delegation from the Movement has engaged with both governments to help develop joint solutions that would benefit both Washington and Pretoria. Buys says the Movement’s discussions have confirmed that none of the key issues is insurmountable.
 
“When the issues are analysed one by one, it becomes clear that practical solutions exist and that a solution is within reach. South Africa does not have to surrender its independence to address these issues, and the solutions are achievable if the government and communities work together. We are not asking for the impossible. We are asking for political will and a little humility,” says Buys. “We are not taking sides between Pretoria and Washington; we are taking South Africa’s side.”
 
The Solidarity Movement believes that the South African government’s domestic policy framework runs counter to principles contained in various international conventions. Similarly, the government’s foreign policy is alienating one of South Africa’s largest trading partners, to the country’s considerable detriment. According to the Solidarity Movement, the latest announcement is simply a continuation of a long-running diplomatic dispute between the two countries that has been ongoing since 2010, when South Africa joined BRICS.
 
South Africans are paying the highest price for this diplomatic dispute. In the interests of South Africa, the dispute must be resolved urgently. Within the next week, the Solidarity Movement will make an important announcement regarding its proposals to bring the protracted dispute to an end.
 
Action is needed now
 
Buys further emphasises: “It is clear that Washington’s patience is wearing thin because talks without results serve no one. That is why the Solidarity Movement has been working for months on proposals that could defuse the issue and benefit all South Africans. The groundwork has been done. What is needed now is for the South African government to come to the table and accept and implement the solutions.”
 
Buys also confirms that the Movement’s work to build a free, safe and prosperous future in South Africa will continue, “whether the government chooses to cooperate or not”.
 
He warns that further escalation will hit ordinary people hardest. “Workers, farmers and businesses have nothing to gain from a further breakdown in relations between these two countries. Closing the door at this stage will affect ordinary South Africans far more severely than the politicians responsible for the crisis.”
 
The Solidarity Movement calls on the South African government to engage honestly and timeously with the proposals when they are made public in the coming days, and not to place its pride above the interests of South Africans.

Issued by Solidarity Movement