South Africa is working diligently to secure more time for trade negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, hoping to avert the imposition of higher tariffs set to take effect on July 9. Pretoria’s trade ministry announced this on Tuesday, highlighting the nation’s efforts to protect its vital exports.
President Trump had previously imposed a 31% tax on U.S. imports from South Africa in April, as part of his global “reciprocal” tariffs. However, he then paused the application of these tariffs for 90 days, opening a window for negotiations.
South Africa’s primary goal in these talks is to secure a trade deal that would exempt some of its most crucial exports from these duties, including autos, auto parts, steel, and aluminum. As a sweetener, the country has offered to buy liquefied natural gas from the United States in return.
As a contingency, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition stated that South Africa is also aiming for a maximum tariff application of 10% as a worst-case scenario.
In a recent development, South African officials met with Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa Connie Hamilton in Luanda last week. During this meeting, they learned that the U.S. is currently developing a new template to guide its future trade engagements with African nations.
“In view of this development…, African countries, including South Africa, have advocated for the extension of the 90-day deadline to enable countries to prepare their proposed deals in accordance with the new template,” it said.
As South Africa scrambles to secure a last-minute trade deal, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office has remained silent, offering no immediate response to a request for comment on the ongoing negotiations. This silence comes as a critical July 9 deadline approaches, threatening the imposition of higher U.S. tariffs on South African imports.
The United States holds significant economic importance for South Africa, serving as its second-largest bilateral trading partner after China. Beyond vital car parts and various manufactured goods, South Africa also sends a significant volume of agricultural products, particularly citrus, to the U.S. market. The potential impact of the looming tariffs is stark: if they take effect, South Africa stands to lose approximately 35,000 jobs in its citrus industry alone, a devastating blow to a key agricultural sector.
The seeds of this proposed trade deal were sown during South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to the White House in May. It was during this visit that President Trump controversially confronted Ramaphosa with what were widely described as “false claims of a ‘genocide’ against whites in South Africa.” Despite this challenging start, Ramaphosa later indicated that “constructive discussions had followed
“We urge South African industry to exercise strategic patience and not take decisions in haste, and that government will continue to use every avenue to engage the U.S. government to find amicable solutions,” said Trade Minister Parks Tau.
