South Africa Not Planning Immediate Response to Trump’s Tariffs

Edition : Widad wahbi

The South African government announced it has no immediate plans to retaliate against the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump at the end of last week. Instead, officials emphasized their intention to pursue dialogue and negotiations in hopes of reaching agreements or securing exemptions from the newly applied trade quotas.

President Trump’s decision to implement a 31% tariff on all South African imports was made public on Wednesday, as part of a broader package of trade measures targeting dozens of countries worldwide. In remarks to the press, Trade Minister Parks Tau cautioned against hasty countermeasures, stating that any reciprocal action without fully understanding the basis of the U.S. decision would be counterproductive. He noted that the average tariff South Africa imposes on American goods is around 7.6%.

Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola described the new tariffs as undermining the economic advantages African countries have long received under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a key U.S. initiative intended to foster trade with sub-Saharan Africa.

The United States is South Africa’s second-largest trading partner after China. Bilateral trade reached $20.5 billion in 2024, including $5.8 billion in U.S. exports to Johannesburg and $14.7 billion in South African exports to the United States.

Trade and foreign affairs officials jointly acknowledged the need for South Africa to accelerate efforts to diversify its export markets, with a particular focus on Asia and the Middle East. At the same time, the government pledged to provide support to sectors expected to be most affected by the tariffs, including automotive manufacturing, processed food industries, mining, and agriculture.

According to government estimates, the impact of the tariffs on economic growth is expected to be minimal, with a projected decline of less than 0.1% in GDP growth for the year.

South Africa had previously expressed interest in negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the Trump administration. However, diplomatic tensions have escalated since Trump returned to power. The expulsion of South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Ibrahim Rasool, at the end of last month marked a significant breakdown in diplomatic relations. The ambassador was accused by U.S. officials of harboring anti-American views and of being critical of President Trump.

While Pretoria had initially hoped to strengthen ties with Washington through expanded trade agreements, repeated verbal attacks from the White House and the imposition of punitive tariffs now cast serious doubt on the possibility of future rapprochement.