President Cyril Ramaphosa will head to New York within the next two weeks to repair tense trade relations between SA and the US.
The talks are expected to take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly debate where SA will also hold the second G20 foreign ministers’ meeting on September 25.
The gathering coincides with the General Assembly 80 high-level week at the UN headquarters.
The meetings follow a series of high-level contacts between Pretoria and Washington, including trade & investment engagements there earlier this month.
Trade, industry & competition minister Parks Tau and Ramaphosa trade adviser Alistair Ruiters have already begun the groundwork for the visit.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya previously told Business Day the SA delegation would be meeting several “key role-players in Washington DC in the ongoing effort to reset our relationship with the US”.
Ramaphosa told ANC councillors on Monday that the forthcoming US visit was part of a broader strategy to normalise trade relations with the US.
Oval Office clash fuels urgency for reset
The trip follows a highly publicised Oval Office exchange in May in which US President Donald Trump confronted Ramaphosa with claims of “white genocide” in SA. The allegations were accompanied by discredited video clippings and articles.
During that meeting, Ramaphosa’s delegation, which included prominent white South Africans such as Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and businessman Johann Rupert, presented a unified front, pushing back against Trump’s narrative and seeking to refocus the agenda on trade, critical minerals and diplomatic ties.
Trade disruptions threaten SA industries
Under Trump’s administration, Washington has imposed restrictions on a range of African exports, unsettling industries in SA from wine and citrus to metals and manufactured goods.
The measures have injected uncertainty into a relationship long anchored by preferential schemes such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa).
The US has raised tariffs on SA goods while SA’s Agoa eligibility faces expiry from September unless renewed. This is unlikely as the 30% tariff on SA exports nullifies the country’s preferential access to US markets under Agoa.
Business Day previously reported the government was also considering offering the motor vehicle and agricultural sectors alternative markets and possible Treasury-backed tax incentives.
Contingency measures by the DTIC to counteract the tariffs include establishing an export support desk for exporters.
The support desk will serve as a one-stop contact point for exporters, providing real-time updates, guidance on compliance and support in pivoting to alternative markets across Africa, Asia, the EU and Latin America.
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