Minister Ntshavheni added that a visa rejection would not impact daily governance or Cabinet operations.
The Presidency has downplayed South Africa’s political response to the United States’ decision to revoke former International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor’s visa, insisting the matter rests squarely with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco).
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni made it clear that government would not escalate the issue into a diplomatic confrontation.
“The issues you are referring to are matters that Dirco will then have to deal with. Former minister Naledi Pandor is not the minister of cabinet,” Ntshavheni said.
Her remarks come after growing public debate over the implications of the US government’s decision, which some critics viewed as a political slight against South Africa.
‘If they revoke a visa, it doesn’t matter’
Ntshavheni stressed that visa decisions by foreign governments were not unusual and should not be inflated into a diplomatic crisis.
“If they revoke, whoever, like any other country, if they decide that you come in, give you a visa, do not give you a visa, it doesn’t change the price of bread,” she said.
The minister added that a visa rejection would not impact daily governance or Cabinet operations, particularly because former ministers hold no executive authority.
“Even if they revoke my visa, it’s fine, I won’t have to go to the US. Actually, the majority of us don’t go to the US. We go for the UN meetings,” she added.
ALSO READ: ‘They never stopped’ – Naledi Pandor continues to receive threats
Pandor seeks answers as speculation grows
Pandor, now chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, told The Citizen last week she received an email from the US Consulate informing her that her valid multiple-entry visa had been revoked without explanation.
“I received an email indicating my visa has been revoked. I have no further details,” she said.
She learned of the decision shortly after returning from a trip to the US this week, despite travelling regularly and having been granted the visa following her retirement from politics in 2024.
Neeshan Balton, executive director of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, believes the revocation is politically motivated.
“Although they are not providing reasons, I think the reasons are very clear. Anybody who has been seen to be associated in advocating for the Palestinian cause… that would place her on their kind of wanted list,” he said.
Balton argued that the decision contradicts the US’s long-standing claims of protecting democratic freedoms.
“Is this the right thing to do? Obviously not, it denies her and others their freedom of speech, and it’s something that the US had previously prided itself on,” he said.
He added that global freedom-ranking institutions should take note of what he called “an erosion of fundamental freedoms in the US”.
ALSO READ: US will not ‘discuss details’ why it revoked visa for Naledi Pandor, embassy says
Possible lobbying against Pandor
An open letter published on 10 November by attorney and former SA Jewish Board of Deputies member Lawrence Nowosenetz accused Pandor of aligning with Iran and Qatar and playing a “key role” in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Publicly available records confirm Pandor’s meetings with Iranian and Qatari officials in 2023, as well as her participation in a “Solidarity with Palestine” conference where Palestinian groups were present.
The revocation comes as Pandor continues to face threats linked to South Africa’s ICJ case.
In June, an insider close to her family told The Citizen that the intimidation had “never stopped”.
“You shouldn’t get too close [to us] because you become a target,” the insider warned.
Pandor’s security was increased in February 2024 amid ongoing threats to her and her children.
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