US won’t release names of S Africans affected by visa restrictions

US ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, says America will not release the names of South Africans who will be affected by the visa restrictions .

Accordingly, the US State Department plans to impose these visa restrictions on government officials and South African civil servants, who shape the land expropriation laws.

This also includes those, who continue to promote the “kill the Boer, kill the farmer” song.

SABC News spoke to ambassador Bozell on the range of issues, including visa restrictions, trade relations and the minority Afrikaner group.

The US senior diplomat in South Africa talked about the relations between South Africa and the United States of America.

Bozell outlined President’s Donald Trump’s tricky message on his assignment to South Africa.

He touched on the recent escalation between Pretoria and Washington including the issue of imposing visa restrictions on some South Africans.

“Relations were sliding for many years.

Even before Donald Trump took over, they were sliding.

The slide seems to be accelerated, in recent years, to the point where the United States says, ‘do we really have a point in South Africa we want?” He also spoke about his meeting with the former President, Thabo Mbeki five months ago, saying the engagement was fruitful.

“I would be very much hopeful and I understand for him to participate, I think he is a reasonable man.

I think he is a good man.

I think he is a wise man, he is an accomplished man; I think he is good.” Earlier, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was willing to engage the US government.

“On the US, we have noted what the Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced about restrictions on certain individuals.