South Africa is making a renewed push to ease trade tensions with the United States, as it prepares to submit a revised trade package aimed at reversing steep 30% import tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration.
Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau confirmed that Cabinet has approved the new proposal, which is now ready for formal submission to Washington.
“We engaged with the US trade head on Friday. We are now ready to submit and will be doing so today,” Tau said.
“The trick is not to get the US to read about the offer in the newspaper.”
Revised Offer Still Under Wraps
Details of the revised trade package are being kept confidential until officially received by the US.
However, Tau noted that the groundwork has been laid and “the work has been done.”
The move comes amid ongoing negotiations between Pretoria and Washington, where South Africa is attempting to salvage trade access and avoid broader economic fallout from tariffs – particularly in key export sectors.
Measures of “Good Will” Already Taken
As part of its diplomatic approach, South Africa has already implemented several “good will” gestures to demonstrate commitment to improving trade ties.
These include:
- Greater market access for US poultry, including shipments from new states
- New access for US blueberries and pork, subject to biosecurity checks
- Reduced technical trade barriers for specific agricultural imports
Tau confirmed that containers of US poultry and pork are expected to arrive in South Africa within two weeks.
Trade vs Politics: A Changing Landscape
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen highlighted that the dispute with the US goes beyond mere trade balances.
“It is very clear now that these tariffs are not just around balancing trade,” he said.
“We’re seeing some form of a new era now where trade and tariffs are being used to deal with issues outside of trade concerns.”
Among the non-trade issues raised by US delegations:
- South Africa’s black economic empowerment policies
- Land expropriation without compensation
- High crime levels and attacks on farmers
- Political rhetoric such as “kill the boer” chants
- Alignment with China, Russia, Iran, and criticism of US allies like Israel
These political and diplomatic concerns, according to Steenhuisen, are outside the scope of trade desks and fall under the responsibility of DIRCO (Department of International Relations and Cooperation).
“There are issues that are outside our remit. Those will need to be dealt with through diplomatic engagement.”
What’s Next?
South Africa’s diplomatic presence in Washington remains active, with officials engaging directly with US counterparts.
As the revised trade package lands on US desks, Pretoria hopes its mix of technical compliance and goodwill gestures will be enough to reverse the tariffs – or at least buy more time.
Are you hopeful this new ‘mystery’ trade package will change anything?
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