South Africa pins hopes on revised offer to overturn Trump's tariffs

THE Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and the Department of Agriculture said they were submitting a “generous” revised trade as part of the government's five-point response to the 30% unilateral tariff imposed by the US on SA imports.

- MASHUDU SADIKE

The Cabinet-approved revised trade offer would be submitted on Tuesday, officials confirmed.

The government's revised offer is one of five measures responding to the US's unilateral tariff hikes which began last Friday. Addressing the media, Trade, Industry and Competition and Agriculture ministers Parks Tau and John Steenhuisen respectively, also said that they had assembled a high-level team comprising the presidency and the two departments to spearhead the tariff negotiations with the US.

However, both ministers indicated that South Africa was seeking trade agreements beyond the US.

They also revealed that Washington additionally requested South Africa to lower tariffs, aligning with the European Union (EU) trade regime as outlined in the SADC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement. While Steenhuisen could not fully explain the offer's contents, he described the revised proposal as “broad, generous, and open,’ meeting the desired ambition criteria.