South Africa expressed dissatisfaction with the recent demands imposed by the United States in the context of trade negotiations, even after Pretoria made concessions in response to Washington's announcement regarding the possible exclusion of the country from the African tariff-free trade program.
Parks Tau, South Africa's Minister of Trade, lamented that the United States introduced new issues at this time, stating that these were not considered during the negotiation process that began in 2025.
Jamieson Greer, White House representative for Trade (USTR), communicated Washington's intention to withdraw South Africa and Rwanda from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). According to the France-Presse agency (AFP), concerns include issues such as customs barriers, investment, rule of law, and political pluralism.
The USTR specified that the exclusion is due to allegations of corruption and threats to US national security or its foreign policy interests related to South Africa.
AGOA is a fundamental agreement that facilitates access for various African products to the North American market without customs duties, being of extreme importance to South Africa, considered the most industrialized economy in Sub-Saharan Africa.
On Thursday, South Africa had expressed the expectation that Washington would make a positive decision regarding the country's maintenance in the trade agreement between the United States and the African continent, but this hope did not materialize.
This Southern African country has been targeted by the government led by Donald Trump for months, which accuses the country of persecuting Afrikaners, descendants of white European colonists, since his return to power. Furthermore, there was a restriction on issuing entry visas to the United States.
The United States remains a vital trade partner for South Africa, with more than 600 American companies operating in the territory, generating approximately 134,600 jobs.
Sectors such as automotive and agriculture (especially citrus) are particularly impacted by AGOA. AFP reports that in 2025, Naamsa, the South African automotive industry association, estimated that there were 86,000 jobs directly linked to AGOA in the automotive sector and 125,000 if suppliers were included.
