US bars Mandela Foundation Chair in latest diplomatic flashpoint with South Africa
Pandor said she received an email from the US Consulate earlier this week informing her that her multiple-entry visitor visa had been cancelled.
The United States has revoked the visa of Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s former Foreign Minister and current Chair of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, as relations with Pretoria deteriorate.
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Pandor told Eyewitness News that she received an email from the US Consulate earlier this week informing her that her multiple-entry visitor visa had been cancelled.
The message, she said, cited a section of US law that allows revocation without providing reasons.
"I have no understanding of why this has happened," she said. "No reason was provided."
Pandor had travelled to New York in July to deliver the keynote address at the United Nations for Nelson Mandela International Day, where she called for stronger global justice and criticised geopolitical double standards.
She was issued the visa after retiring from frontline politics in 2024.
The timing of the revocation has raised eyebrows.
Relations between the United States and South Africa have become increasingly strained, particularly after Pretoria filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza - a case vigorously opposed by the Trump administration.
Washington has openly criticised South Africa's legal action and Pretoria's continued alignment with positions viewed as sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.
The US Embassy in Pretoria has issued no official response, leaving the diplomatic and legal rationale for the decision unclear.
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