Nairobi has been thrust into the centre of a diplomatic row between Pretoria and the United States after seven Kenyan nationals were deported from South Africa on Wednesday.

The South African government said it had begun engagements with both Nairobi and Washington to resolve the issue, which risks further straining Pretoria’s already tense relations with the Donald Trump administration.

The dispute dates back to September, when the US hired seven Kenyans to process refugee applications from white South Africans whom President Trump claimed had been “persecuted” in their home country.

Pretoria rejected the claim, and President Cyril Ramaphosa travelled to Washington earlier this year to try to defuse tensions, with little success.

Despite South Africa’s objections, the US deployed the Kenyans to process the applications. In October, Pretoria said it would not issue them with work permits, arguing they were neither diplomats nor authorised to perform such duties. The group was employed by RSC Africa, a Kenya-based refugee support centre run by Church World Service (CWS).

On Tuesday, South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, the ministry responsible for immigration, raided their workplace, saying the Kenyans were operating outside diplomatic premises.

“…the Department of Home Affairs, in collaboration with other arms of law enforcement, executed a routine, lawful operation in Johannesburg targeted at suspected violations of South African immigration law,” said Carli Van Wyk, spokesperson for the Minister of Home Affairs.

“The operation followed intelligence reports indicating that a number of Kenyan nationals had recently entered South Africa on tourist visas and had illegally taken up work at a centre processing the applications of so-called ‘refugees’ to the United States. This was despite the fact that earlier visa applications for Kenyan nationals to perform this work had been lawfully declined by the Department.”

VISA-FREE ENTRY

Since January 2023, Kenyans have been allowed visa-free entry into South Africa for up to 90 days, provided the visit is not work-related. Pretoria now says it will lodge a protest with Nairobi to prevent misuse of entry permissions.

Washington reacted angrily to the deportations, insisting the Kenyans were working under the employment of US agencies. US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Pretoria’s “interfering in our refugee operations is unacceptable,” adding that Washington had written to South Africa demanding immediate clarification and “expects full cooperation and accountability.”

The US has not announced retaliatory measures, though Trump has previously taken punitive action. In May, he declared South Africa’s then ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, persona non grata after the envoy criticised his administration.

US-SOUTH AFRICA RELATIONS

Relations between Washington and Pretoria have been strained since Trump took office, although tensions predate his presidency.

South Africa has sued Israel, a key US ally, at the International Court of Justice over the Gaza war, and has maintained close ties with Russia, including hosting a Russian military vessel – moves that have drawn criticism from Washington.

The African National Congress, South Africa’s co-ruling party, has long had strong links with both Palestine and Russia.

On Wednesday, Ramaphosa’s government accused the US of employing Kenyan nationals who did not hold valid work permits. Kenya has yet to issue an official statement, but a diplomat confirmed that the seven Kenyans – five men and two women – arrived back in Nairobi on Wednesday afternoon.

The controversy comes as Washington has sharply reduced its annual refugee intake from about 125,000 to 7,500. Trump has prioritised Afrikaners – largely descendants of Dutch and French settlers – for asylum, citing “persecution, a claim Pretoria strongly rejects.

“They were arrested and issued with deportation orders, and will be prohibited from entering South Africa again for a five-year period,” said Van Wyk, noting that Americans at the site were not deported.

“The presence of foreign officials apparently coordinating with undocumented workers naturally raises serious questions about intent and diplomatic protocol,” she added.

The Kenyans had applied for volunteer visas in August, but South Africa rejected the applications, arguing the visas apply only to unpaid work. Work visas in South Africa are harder to obtain and take longer to process.

Earlier this year, Trump offered Afrikaners refugee status after Ramaphosa signed a law allowing the state to seize land without compensation in limited circumstances.