Trump’s 30% tariff on SA based on inaccurate trade data — Ramaphosa

US President Donald Trump announced on Monday, 7 July that he would subject imports from South Africa to new 30% tariffs that would take effect from 1 August. 

In a letter addressed to President Cyril Ramaphosa, which was signed by Trump and posted to his Truth Social, he said: “We have had years to discuss our trading relationship with South Africa, and have concluded that we must move away from these long-term, and very persistent, trade deficits engendered by South Africa’s tariff, and non-tariff, policies and trade barriers. 

“Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from reciprocal. Starting on August 1, 2025, we will charge South Africa a tariff of only 30% on any and all South African products sent to the United States, separate from all sectoral tariffs.”

Trump added that if South Africa were to increase its tariffs in response to his announcement, the amount it chooses to raise them by would be added on top of the existing 30%.

“If you wish to open your heretofore closed trading markets to the United States, and eliminate your tariff and non-tariff policies and trade barriers, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter. 

“These tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your country. You will never be disappointed with the United States of America,” he said.

Trump’s letter to Ramaphosa was among several posted to his Truth Social on Monday. Other, near-identical letters, with varying tariff rates, were addressed to the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Laos, Kazakhstan and Malaysia. 

Trump imposed a 30% tariff on South Africa in April, as part of his global “reciprocal” tariffs, before agreeing to suspend their application for 90 days, saying he would hammer out bilateral deals with trade partners. 

The 90-day pause on Trump’s tariff hikes was expected to come to an end on 9 July.  However, the Trump administration on Monday night, issued an executive order officially extending the tariff deadline to 1 August - which Trump has now said is "not 100% firm".

SA, and other countries around the world, have been pushing to negotiate trade deals with the US to prevent Trump’s sweeping tariffs. But only two preliminary deals, with the UK and Vietnam, have since been announced.

Read more: SA’s best shot for salvaging US relations is ‘a reciprocal trade deal replacing Agoa’

SA first presented its draft Framework Deal to the US on 20 May, a day before Ramaphosa met Trump at the White House in Washington. The initial proposal included deals on agriculture, critical minerals, automotive and other exports. 

Last week, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) said SA had requested an extension of the 90-day pause, to enable it to revise its proposed trade deal in accordance with the Trump administration’s new template for US trade with sub-Saharan Africa. 

Read more: ‘Still room for engagement’ says Parks Tau as Trump’s tariff deadline looms

Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau said he believed trade discussions with America would continue beyond 9 July, as the US had indicated at a recent meeting that there was still “room for engagement” on the matter. 

On Sunday, 6 July, Trump also threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on countries that align themselves with the “anti-American policies” of BRICS, according to a Reuters report. He said there would be “no exceptions to this policy”. 

Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, the BRICS bloc, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and a handful of other nations, voiced “serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures” which, they said, “distort trade and are inconsistent with” World Trade Organisation rules. 

Inaccurate representation of trade data 

In a statement on Monday night, Ramaphosa’s office said that SA maintained that a “30% reciprocal tariff is not an accurate representation of available trade data”.

“This 30% tariff is based on a particular interpretation of the balance of trade between South Africa and the United States. This contested interpretation forms part of the issues under consideration by the negotiating teams from South Africa and the United States… In our interpretation of the available trade data, the average tariff [on] imported goods entering South Africa stands at 7.6%. Importantly, 56% of goods enter South Africa at 0% most favoured nation tariff, with 77% of US goods entering the South African market under the 0% duty,” Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said in a statement.

Magwenya said SA will continue with its diplomatic efforts to ensure a “more balanced and mutually beneficial trade relationship” with the US. He added that the country welcomed the commitment by the Trump administration to consider a modification of the tariff rate following potential negotiations.

“South Africa has continued to engage the United States, most recently at a meeting held on the sidelines of the US-Africa Summit on [24] June 2025, in Luanda. It was at this meeting where South Africa learned of a template with which the US wishes to engage sub-Saharan Africa on matters of trade.

“The South African negotiating team still awaits this template, however, President Ramaphosa has instructed the team [to] urgently engage with the US on the basis of the Framework Deal that South Africa submitted to the US on 20 May 2025. This framework deal addresses the issues initially raised by the US, including South Africa’s supposed trade surplus, unfair trade practices and lack of reciprocity from the US,” he continued.

Read more: SA must forge bilateral trade deals with wide range of countries to ramp up exports in the Trump era

Magwenya said Ramaphosa also urged government trade negotiations teams and South African companies to “accelerate their diversification efforts in order to promote better resilience in both global supply chains and the South African economy”. DM

This article was updated at 6am on Tuesday, 8 July, to reflect the response of the South African Presidency.