The South African government has dismissed accusations by the US that it harassed and intimidated American officials during a raid on a centre processing applications by white South Africans for refugee status in the US.
Tuesday's raid saw seven Kenyans expelled from South Africa for working in the country illegally.
The US accused South Africa of publishing the passport details of its officials, saying this was unacceptable and warning of severe consequences. But South Africa has denied this, saying it treats matters of data security with the utmost seriousness.
The US is offering asylum status to members of South Africa's Afrikaner community, claiming they face persecution. South Africa's government has rejected these claims, with tensions rising since Trump took office.
After the raid on the processing centre, South Africa expressed concern that foreign officials appeared to have coordinated with undocumented workers and reached out to the US and Kenya for resolution. 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 but did not provide evidence for its accusations.
South Africa claims that no US officials were arrested and that the Kenyans had applied for work permits, which were denied. This dispute arises amid a broader context of tension involving Afrikaners and land reform policies in South Africa, further complicated by President Trump’s controversial remarks over Afrikaner safety.
