Cyril Ramaphosa says the latest measure misrepresents Pretoria-Washington trade data
South Africa has pushed back against a “unilateral” 30% tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump, calling the move a “contested interpretation” of trade realities amid strained relations between the two countries.
Trump on Monday announced new duty rates on several of America’s trading partners, in letters addressed to leaders of the affected countries – including South Africa. He said the Pretoria-Washington relationship has been “unfortunately, far from reciprocal,” and declared that “any and all” products from the country would be subject to a “tariff of only 30%” starting August 1, “separate from all sectoral tariffs.”
The US leader claimed the levies were needed to offset years of South African trade barriers and policies, which he blamed for “unsustainable trade deficits” against the US.
“These tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your country,” Trump said in the letter shared on Truth Social.
In response, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed receiving formal notice from Washington regarding the new tariff measures, which he said are “not an accurate representation of available trade data.”
“In our interpretation of the available trade data, the average tariff on imported goods entering South Africa stands at 7.6%,” Ramaphosa said in a statement released on Tuesday by his office. He added that 77% of US goods enjoy duty-free access to the South African market.
Last week, South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) announced that Pretoria was negotiating with Washington for an extension of a July 9 deadline, when an earlier 31% tariff on exports to the US market had been scheduled to take effect.
The DTIC said its officials met with the US assistant trade representative for Africa, Connie Hamilton, during the US-Africa Summit in Angola on June 23, when they requested more time to negotiate trade deals under a new framework. It added that South Africa is pushing for 10% levies from the Trump administration in a worst-case situation.
South Africa is the largest beneficiary of Washington’s flagship African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which grants eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US market. After China, the US is South Africa’s second-largest bilateral trading partner.
However, ties between Pretoria and Washington have deteriorated since Trump returned to office in January. He has accused the South African government of mistreating the white minority, halted all funding to Pretoria, and expelled its ambassador for being “anti-American.”
On Tuesday, Ramaphosa’s office said he had instructed a negotiating team to urgently engage with Washington, based on a framework he presented during a May meeting with Trump, aimed at addressing concerns including trade surplus, reciprocity, and market access.
