South African trade officials in Washington for tariff talks and efforts to ease tensions

JOHANNESBURG — South African trade officials have held talks with their U.S. counterparts in Washington, reports said Friday as Africa’s largest economy looks to repair strained relations and negotiate the lifting of heavy tariffs imposed by the United States.

South Africa’s department of trade, industry and competition said the country’s Trade Minister Parks Tau and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held “cordial and constructive” talks following three days of intense discussions by senior officials from both countries.

There was no immediate word on the outcome of the talks. The South African ministry said they established a “roadmap” that will be prioritized in future talks.

Relations between South Africa and the U.S. have deteriorated since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year. Since then, the U.S. has frozen key development aid to South Africa and expelled Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, after he publicly criticized the Trump administration and its policies.

Trump has also criticized South Africa’s stance over the Israel-Hamas war, which has seen the country take Israel to the International Court of Justice and accuse it of committing genocide in Gaza.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’ s government has unsuccessfully tried to preempt Washington’s 30 per cent levy on South African imports. The tariff rate is among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa and could cause tens of thousands of job losses at a time when South Africa’s economy is barely growing and unemployment is stuck above 30 per cent.

In contrast to Ramaphosa’s tense moment in May in the Oval Office, when he was confronted with baseless claims of the systematic killing of white farmers in South Africa, Tau complimented Ambassador Greer for his availability and readiness to interact with the South African team in a “constructive manner.”

The U.S. remains one of South Africa’s most important economic and investment partners, with US$15.1 billion in bilateral trade in 2024. South Africa’s exports to the U.S. totaled US$8.2 billion in 2024, while U.S. imports into South Africa totaled US$6.9 billion, according to the trade ministry.

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Michelle Gumede, The Associated Press