In a brief official statement on the matter, Pretoria maintained that these “tariffs reaffirm the urgency of negotiating a new bilateral and mutually beneficial trade agreement with the United States, as an essential step to guarantee long-term trade security.”
After expressing “concern” about the new tariffs imposed on South African exports to the United States, the Presidency reiterated that South Africa remains committed to a mutually beneficial trade relationship with the United States.
The new US tariffs, which Pretoria describes as “unilateral and punitive,” constitute an obstacle to trade and shared prosperity, the statement emphasizes.
According to Trump’s calculations, now widely criticized by economic experts almost worldwide, the new tariffs are only half of those that the nations now affected by Washington have long applied to American goods.
Consequently, the American president describes them as “reciprocal.”
In the case of South Africa, according to Trump, it has been applying 60 percent tariffs on American products, which is why the United States imposed a 30 percent tariff on South African products.
Since taking office, Trump has expressed hostility toward the South African government, calling its policies anti-American. He has also criticized South Africa’s relations with countries such as Russia, Iran, and China, and its critical stance toward Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people.
He has also criticized Pretoria for its recent land expropriation law, saying it discriminates against white South Africans (Afrikaners), whom he promised to welcome in the United States.
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