South Africa stands firm on sovereignty amid US criticism over Kenyan deportations

South Africa and the United States are currently in a diplomatic standoff following the detention of seven Kenyan nationals by South African authorities. These individuals were found working without proper visas at a US refugee processing centre, linked to applications submitted by Afrikaners.

South Africa is firmly defending its immigration laws while rejecting US allegations of harassment and intimidation. This situation has escalated tensions between the two governments, particularly following recent public statements.

The Kenyan nationals were employed by a Christian NGO but were working at the centre on tourist visas, which is a violation of South African immigration laws. As a result, they were deported and banned from re-entering South Africa for five years.

In response, the US issued a statement claiming that South Africa was attempting to intimidate its government personnel who were conducting official business in the country.

Claiming the public release of personal identifying information puts the official in harm’s way and regarding it as “an acceptable form of harassment.”

They then advised the South African government to take immediate action to bring this situation under control and hold those responsible accountable, and warned that failure by the South African Government to hold those accountable will result in severe consequences

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation then issued a statement addressing the allegations from the US that the detained individuals were working without the necessary work permits.

On the private information of the US officials, South Africa addressed that the country treats all matters of data security with the utmost seriousness and operates under stringent legal and diplomatic protocols, and rejected the suggestions of state involvement in such actions.

South Africa remains committed to principled and transparent diplomacy, actively seeking to open official channels of communication with the United States government. The move seeks clarity on allegations and aims to reinforce the necessity of grounding bilateral engagement in mutual respect and actual dialogue, as stated by the ministry in the IRC statement.

The US government's statement sparked a strong reaction from South African citizens, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their views.

Lord_Ori passionately stated, "This is now an obsession. South Africa is not a colony of any country that ain’t trying to be a global bully."

User Thabo Makwakwa echoed this sentiment, commenting, "We will never apologise for defending our sovereignty."

Another user, @Sabelo200BC, praised the stance: "Good one. Factual, straight, firm, and unapologetic. Really, we are not a guitar of Trump’s administration that gets played every time they feel bored."

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