South Africa will present a revised trade deal to Washington on Tuesday in an effort to cut the 30% tariff that U.S. President Donald Trump imposed on its exports last week, according to the country’s trade minister.
“We went to cabinet last week and got approval of what would constitute the latest offer to the US,” South Africa’s Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau told reporters in Pretoria. “I will submit the documents to the US now.”
Tau said the new offer “substantively responds to the issues the U.S. has raised in the 2025 National Trade Estimates Report,” though he did not share further details.
South Africa had been negotiating with the U.S. for months, offering to buy American liquefied natural gas and committing $3.3 billion in investments in U.S. industries in hopes of avoiding the tariff increase. Those proposals however, were rejected.
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The steep tariff, currently the highest in sub-Saharan Africa, puts around 30,000 South African jobs at risk, particularly in the automotive and agriculture sectors.
According to Reuters, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen previously noted that Trump’s team viewed South Africa’s initial proposal as lacking ambition.
Steenhuisen, who is also the leader of the second-largest party in the coalition government, described the new offer as “broad, generous and open,” saying it now meets the ambition standard.
He warned, however, that the 30% tariff could remain unless the South African government changes certain domestic race-related policies, including affirmative action, which Trump has criticized.
The United States is South Africa’s second-largest bilateral trading partner after China, with trade between the two countries reaching $8.8 billion last year, according to the South African Revenue Service.
In the meantime, South Africa is also looking into alternative markets to help offset the impact of the U.S. tariffs.
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Image Credit: News Central TV
