South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump spoke by phone on the eve of the United States’ introduction of a new punitive tariff regime, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, August 7.
According to the report, the call signals Pretoria’s effort to revive negotiations on a new trade agreement with its biggest partner after China. The two countries have made little progress toward a deal since their leaders met at the White House in May. The conversation, held on Wednesday, coincided with a meeting between South Africa’s Foreign Minister, Ronald Lamola, and U.S. chargé d’affaires David Greene — currently Washington’s top diplomat in Pretoria. Ramaphosa and Trump are planning further talks, the South African Presidency said in a statement on Thursday.
“The two leaders committed to continuing further engagements, recognizing the various trade negotiations currently underway in the United States,” the statement said, adding that “their respective trade negotiating teams will carry forward more detailed discussions.”
The U.S. has imposed 30% tariffs on imports from South Africa — the highest duties levied on goods from any Sub-Saharan African country — as part of a restructuring of its trade relationships. The South African government is assessing the impact of the tariffs on employment if it fails to secure a more favorable deal.
The trade department estimates that 30,000 jobs could be lost across sectors, while the central bank has warned that more than 100,000 jobs in the automotive and agricultural industries could be at risk.
Source: Diário Económico
