South Africa Seizes Tariff Delay to Negotiate with U.S., Protect Jobs

On Friday, August 1, 2025, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that his government would leverage a week-long delay in the U.S.’s imposition of 30% tariffs on South African exports, now postponed to August 7, 2025, to negotiate intensely and safeguard jobs. The tariffs, initially set for August 1, were announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on July 7, targeting South Africa among nearly 70 countries for perceived trade imbalances, with potential job losses estimated at 100,000 by South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago, particularly in the agriculture (citrus, wine) and automotive sectors, critical to an economy with over 30% unemployment (33.5% in Q2 2025, per Stats SA).

Ramaphosa, speaking to journalists, emphasized “intensive negotiations” to counter Trump’s tariffs, which he argued misrepresent trade data, as South Africa’s average import tariff is 7.6%, with 77% of U.S. goods entering duty-free under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). South Africa’s Framework Deal, submitted on May 20, 2025, offers importing 75–100 petajoules of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) over 10 years ($12 billion), simplifying U.S. poultry exports ($91 million), and investing $3.3 billion in U.S. mining, metals recycling, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, and agri-machinery. Ramaphosa also stressed diversifying export markets to reduce reliance on the U.S., South Africa’s second-largest trading partner after China, with $14.2 billion in 2024 exports, per the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC). X posts from @SAnews and @ReutersAfrica on July 31 noted optimism for a deal, with DTIC Minister Parks Tau confirming a support desk to mitigate impacts on small-scale exporters and counter-seasonal agriculture.