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South Africa will present what ministers describe as a “broad, generous and ambitious” trade proposal to the United States on Tuesday in a bid to avoid 30% tariffs recently imposed on some of its exports.
Washington announced the tariffs on Friday — the highest in sub-Saharan Africa — despite Pretoria’s efforts to secure a better arrangement to protect thousands of jobs. Officials have warned the measure could cost the economy around 30,000 jobs, with unemployment already standing at 33.2%.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said measures to increase imports of US poultry, blueberries, and pork had been finalised, though full details of the proposal remain confidential. “When the document is made public, I think you will see it as a very broad, generous, and ambitious offer to the United States on trade,” he told reporters.
Trade Minister Parks Tau stressed that South African exports accounted for just 0.25% of total US imports and posed no threat to American industries. “Our goal is to demonstrate that our trade relationship is, in fact, complementary,” he said.
However, Steenhuisen revealed that US diplomats raised concerns over South African domestic policies, including land reform and employment laws aimed at addressing racial inequalities — an approach he said was unexpected in what was supposed to be a trade negotiation. He argued that tariffs were now being used to pursue non-trade objectives, calling it a “new normal” in global trade relations.
Tau described the talks as “unprecedented”, noting they departed from World Trade Organization norms. He emphasised the need to uphold South Africa’s sovereignty while engaging with Washington on the issue.
The US is South Africa’s third-largest trading partner after the European Union and China. Political disagreements between the two nations have been mounting, echoing similar tariff disputes the US has had with Brazil, India, and others.
