South Africa's trade and foreign affairs departments jointly held a media briefing on Monday (August 4th), saying that the US policy of imposing a 30% high tariff on South African goods exported to the US will have a severe impact on the South African economy and may lead to the loss of about 30,000 jobs.
Xinhua News Agency reported that Hamilton, the Director-General of South Africa's Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, said that the United States is South Africa's third largest trading partner after the European Union and China. High tariffs will severely impact South Africa's automotive manufacturing, agricultural product processing and other industries, threatening about 30,000 jobs.
According to data from Statistics South Africa, the national unemployment rate reached 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025, with the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 34 being as high as 46.1%.
South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ramola, said that if the 30% tariff policy is implemented, it is expected to lead to a 0.2 percentage point decline in South Africa's economic growth. South Africa is still in negotiations with the US on a trade agreement, hoping to reach a trade agreement that promotes industrial value addition and industrialization development, rather than repeating the predatory trade relations of the colonial period.
In response to the US tariff challenge, South African President Ramaphosa announced in his weekly open letter on Monday that South Africa will establish an "Export Enterprise Support Platform" to focus on helping affected enterprises expand their markets and adjust their export structures. At the same time, we will accelerate the strategy of diversifying export markets, actively explore the African Continental Free Trade Area and markets in Asia, the Middle East, etc., reduce reliance on a single market, and enhance economic resilience.
On July 31, US President Trump signed an executive order, announcing the tariff rates applicable to goods exported to the United States from 69 trading partners, including South Africa. This move has sparked opposition and doubts both within the United States and internationally. The new tariff rates announced by the US side will come into effect seven days after the executive order is issued.
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