‘Long overdue’: Steve Hofmeyr, Kallie Kriel approve of US visa restrictions

Several outspoken Afrikaner rights activists, including AfriForum’s Kallie Kriel, Lex Libertas’ Ernst Roets, and singer Steve Hofmeyr, have expressed public support for the US’s new visa restrictions on South Africans.

The announcement was made by US State of Secretary, Marco Rubio, under a new policy in the Immigration and Nationality Act.

US VISA RESTRICTIONS: WHAT DOES IT MEAN, AND WHO DOES IT AFFECT?

On Tuesday, 15 September, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new visa restriction policy targeting South Africans who “enact or enable policies that promote race-based discrimination, incite violence, or enable land confiscation without compensation”.

Rubio claimed that the policy came after “the South African government consistently failed to adequately address rural crime, violent and dehumanising rhetoric, and race-based discriminatory policies against Afrikaners and other minority populations”.

What exactly does the US visa restrictions mean, and who do they target?

The restriction is not a blanket visa policy; it specifically targets South African individuals, whom the US states are “responsible for, or complicit in” the following:

• Enacting or implementing policies involving race-based discrimination
• Policies enabling uncompensated land seizures and expropriation
• Inciting violence against minority racial or ethnic groups
• Family members of these individuals.

The restriction falls under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the Secretary of State to declare someone inadmissible to entry into the US.

AFRIKANER ACTIVISTS SHOW PUBLIC SUPPORT

On X, several Afrikaner activists showed their support for the US visa restrictions.

Outspoken singer, Steve Hofmey,r tweeted from his X account: “Seems like all hell is breaking loose. People involved in drafting or implementing the racist policies identified by Washington may face visa restrictions. 

“This may include families and the corporate sector. I saw my YES vote turn into a racial weapon against my people in 1999 already. Long overdue.

Kallie Kriel, the CEO of AfriForum, thanked US policymakers for taking action against those who “incite ethnic violence”, singling out Economic Freedom Fighter leader Julius Malema.

He posted: “The South African government must accept full responsibility for the latest action by the United States, as it has failed to take any meaningful steps to address the chanting of Kill the Boer, the Expropriation Act and discriminatory race legislation.

“After the South African courts failed to act against Julius Malema’s use of the “Kill the Boer” slogan, AfriForum compiled a dossier calling on the international community to take action against Malema. AfriForum is therefore grateful that the United States has now imposed punitive measures against those, such as Malema, who incite ethnic violence.

AfriForum welcomes the fact that the US’s latest action regarding South Africa will not harm ordinary South Africans or the country itself, but is specifically directed at politicians and others guilty of gross human rights violations against minorities and Afrikaners.… pic.twitter.com/ootGdAKkBB

— Kallie Kriel (@kalliekriel) September 16, 2026

In a statement from his advocacy group, Ernst Roets welcomed the US visa restrictions.

He shared: “The targeted nature of the measure is significant. It distinguishes between the peoples of South Africa and those individuals whom the United States regards as responsible for the policies and actions at issue. 

“Ordinary people are not being punished for decisions taken by political office-bearers and officials. Where consequences are imposed, they should as far as possible fall on those responsible for creating the crisis.’

DIRCO RESPONDS

Meanwhile, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation has hit back at the US visa restriction policy, accusing the US of “mischaracterising South Africa’s domestic policies” 

In a statement, DIRCO Minister Ronald Lamola stated that South Africa’s laws must be understood against the country’s history of apartheid and racial inequality.

“It is our sovereign right to put in place laws that address the nation’s concern over centuries of racial injustice”, he said

Lamola also rejected the idea that transformative policies equated to “racial discrimination”, stating that they are intended to “improve the plight of the people who had been excluded for centuries.”

He called on the US to respect South Africa’s democratic sovereignty.

“South Africa respects that the United States may hold different views regarding particular measures and their implementation; however, we remain committed to addressing these challenges through our constitutional institutions, democratic processes and the rule of law, with the objective of building a more equal and inclusive society for all South Africans