Diplomatic tensions between South Africa and the United States escalated this week as the administration of US President Donald Trump imposed a 30% tariff on goods imported from South Africa – the highest duties placed on any sub-Saharan African nation.
The tariffs, which came into effect on Friday, 8 August, threaten to undermine critical sectors of South Africa’s economy, with the auto and agricultural industries expected to bear the brunt of the impact.
South Africa’s Department of Trade has warned that the move could put as many as 30 000 jobs at risk, exacerbating the country’s already severe unemployment crisis.
Presidential Phone Call Fails to Resolve Dispute
A day before the tariffs took effect, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and President Donald Trump held a phone conversation in a last-minute effort to address the dispute.
According to a statement from the South African Presidency, the two leaders committed to “further engagements”, with respective trade negotiating teams set to continue detailed discussions in the weeks ahead. However, no immediate resolution was reached.
“The two leaders undertook to continue with further engagements, recognising the various trade negotiations the US is currently involved in,” the statement read.
ANC Refuses to Bow to Pressure
At the centre of the tensions are US demands that South Africa abandon certain post-apartheid economic laws aimed at redressing racial inequality.
These demands have drawn a strong rebuke from the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s ruling party.
“They want us to do away with certain policies. It is not going to be possible,” said Fikile Mbalula, the ANC’s secretary-general, during a press briefing in Johannesburg.
“If it means we are going to suffer through sanctions as leaders of the ANC, let it be. We will never back imperialists to subvert our democracy, to subvert our sovereignty.”
The ANC, which lost its outright parliamentary majority in 2024 for the first time in 30 years, is now governing in coalition with nine other parties.
Despite this shift in political dynamics, the party remains firm in its stance against foreign pressure to alter its transformative economic policies.
Strained US–SA Relations Under Donald Trump 2.0
Relations between Pretoria and Washington have deteriorated sharply since Donald Trump’s return to office in January 2025.
The Trump administration has reignited claims of “white farmer genocide” in South Africa – a discredited narrative – and criticised the country’s foreign policy alignments, particularly its participation in BRICS and its growing ties with nations like China and Russia.
Analysts warn that the new tariffs could further strain bilateral relations and have long-term consequences for South Africa’s access to global markets.
Economic Consequences Loom
South Africa relies heavily on the US as a key export market, particularly for automobiles, wine, citrus, and other agricultural products.
The 30% tariff will drastically reduce the competitiveness of South African goods in the US market, with small-scale farmers and manufacturers likely to suffer the most.
Industry bodies have called on the government to seek urgent diplomatic or legal remedies, potentially through the World Trade Organisation (WTO), while continuing to engage with US trade officials.
What Comes Next?
With trade teams set to resume negotiations, and the political rhetoric intensifying on both sides, the coming weeks will be critical in determining whether relations between the two nations can be stabilised – or spiral further into economic and diplomatic conflict.
Where does South Africa’s compliant rank among Donald Trump’s worldwide problems?
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