Tariffs imposed on other nations show the United States is not singling out South Africa for special treatment.
To those who claim the ANC brought the new US 30% tariff down upon South Africa, we have just one word: Canada.
There are no – last time we looked, anyway – ANC politicians in America’s northern neighbour, nor does Ottawa pursue anything like broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE), yet Canada has been clobbered with a 35% tariff.
While US President Donald Trump has used South Africa to make political capital with his right-wing supporters, the reality is that his “liberation day” tariffs are all about overhauling the global trade system.
So, even playing nicely – as our government of national unity is trying to do in getting him to accept a grovelling trade deal – is unlikely to work.
Besides, our total trade with the US is only a fraction of the turnover of a medium-sized American city… so we’re not even a blip on Washington’s trade radar.
Two things might come out of this, however.
One might be a toning down of the B-BBEE strictures – and senior ANC politicians have already hinted at this – while the tariffs will force us to look for other trade partners.
By not putting all our export eggs in a few, risky baskets, we increase our options.
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