Ramaphosa and Trump discuss bilateral trade on the phone amid tariff tension

President Cyril Ramaphosa held a telephone call with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, the presidency said in a statement on Thursday.

The discussion was on “bilateral trade matters”.

SA is in a large group of countries that have had tariffs raised by Trump. Other countries, such as Brics counterparts Brazil, China and India, were also on Thursday engaged in last-ditch efforts to have tariffs into the lucrative US market reduced.

The presidency did not elaborate, except to say that “the two leaders undertook to continue with further engagements, recognising the various trade negotiations the US is currently involved in”. It said: “Respective trade negotiating teams will take forward more detailed discussions.”

A week ago, the Trump administration confirmed a 30% tariff on SA goods, set to take effect on Friday.

SA’s trade proposals included new trade deals in liquefied natural gas, agriculture, mining, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals and agri-machinery.

Asked whether the tariffs would remain in place after Wednesday’s call, presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said: “Discussions are ongoing, but nothing changes. You really can’t reach an agreement over a phone call. It’s a process.”

TIMELINE: US-SA trade history

Minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni on Thursday confirmed the government’s efforts to find constructive and sustainable solutions to the US tariffs. She was briefing the media on the outcomes of the cabinet meetings held on July 22 and on Wednesday. “Cabinet received an update on the framework deal with the US, in light of the 30% tariffs against SA that are expected to come into effect ... with the provision that the tariffs will be reviewed as soon as the two countries reach a deal.”

Ntshavheni said the government’s efforts remained focused on growing the economy to save and create new jobs. This included expanding export markets to Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the rest of Africa.

“Specific to industries impacted by the tariff increase, government is focusing on demand-side interventions ... and targeted interventions to ensure industry stability and safeguard employment.”

These include the establishment of an export support desk, which will serve as a direct point of contact for affected companies, she said. The export and competitiveness support programme will include working capital and plant and equipment facilities to address short- to medium-term needs across all industries. The employment & labour department is planning measures to mitigate potential job losses, “using existing instruments within its entities that can be adjusted to respond to the current challenges”.

“Following consultations with the Competition Commission, a block exemption for exporters has been introduced to enable collaboration and co-ordination by competitors. A draft block exemption will be published by the end of the week so that the process can be concluded expeditiously,” she said.

Meanwhile, the trade, industry & competition department in consultation with industry associations and export councils compiled an SA-China trade and investment package (2025-29) as a basis for economic engagement with China, the minister said.

“On investment and industrial development: the priorities are on investments in steel, tyres, automotive, battery manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, rail manufacturing and the digital economy,” Ntshavheni said, adding that there’s also a skills development component.

Ntshavheni said the cabinet was apprised on the outcomes of the technical working visit to Nigeria by mineral & petroleum resources minister Gwede Mantashe to discuss co-operation in the mining, oil and gas sectors as part of the SA-Nigeria binational commission.

Nigeria is seeking to develop its mining sector through exploration and production of the vast mineral resources and to leverage SA’s extensive experience in the mining sector.

Update: August 7 2025

This story was updated to reflect additional comment from presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.

marxj@businesslive.co.za

mkentanel@businesslive.co.za

Here are the new adjusted reciprocal tariff rates levied on US importers, which will take effect on Thursday, listed in alphabetical order by country of origin: