SA fights back on US trade deal

TARIFF DEADLINE

- BONGANI HANS [e-mail]

AS WASHINGTON sharpens its trade weapons, South Africa is already charting a new course - one that looks beyond the White House and deep into emerging markets across the globe.

Facing a looming 30% tariff hike from the United States, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen says the country is not waiting to be bruised. Instead, it's hustling to diversify its trading partners, secure new agricultural markets, and shield local exporters from the fallout of a rapidly souring diplomatic relationship.

“The real solution lies not just in playing defence, but in going on the offensive. This is why we are doubling down on market access expansion,” said Steenhuisen, who is the leader of the DA in the Government of National Unity.

The tariff deadline will come as the country waits for the outcome of the proposed US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025, which seeks to impose sanctions against some ANC leaders accused of, among others, supporting China, Russia, and Iran, and mismanaging state resources.

Delivering a keynote address at the RSA Group Stakeholder Dinner in Muldersdrift outside Johannesburg on Thursday, Steenhuisen said his department was reaching out to other countries looking for markets to sell the country’s agricultural products.

He called on the country not to waste time by being overly reliant, but to be productive.

He said the country was already strengthening its trade alliances with the likes of Chile, Peru, and New Zealand “to jointly lobby for fair and stable trade treatment of fresh produce” through the Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters.