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Africa: US Tariffs Push South Africa to Diversify Trade Reach

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Africa: US Tariffs Push South Africa to Diversify Trade Reach


Bern, Switzerland — President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa is hopeful of reaching a trade agreement with the United States soon, following ongoing text-based negotiations aimed at addressing the impact of steep tariffs imposed under the Trump administration.

Speaking during a media briefing in Bern, Switzerland, on Wednesday, where he is undertaking a State Visit, President Ramaphosa confirmed that both South Africa and Switzerland have been among the countries hardest hit by the 30% tariffs.

“Yes, we are two countries (South Africa and Switzerland) that have unfortunately been hit by very high tariffs. I do understand from my discussions with the President that Switzerland is involved in negotiations with the Americans, and so we are now involved in text-based negotiations with them, and we’re hoping that we’ll be able to reach success in or achieve success in our negotiations,” he said.

The President said the imposition of the tariffs has forced South Africa to re-evaluate its trade strategy and broaden its global partnerships.


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“But more importantly, what these tariffs have done is to make us want to diversify our trade reach, and we, as South Africa, have been looking at spreading our trade wings more effectively to other markets,” he said.

He highlighted South Africa’s growing engagement with Southeast Asian nations as part of this diversification effort.

“We’ve just returned from Southeast Asia, where we visited three countries – Vietnam, Indonesia, as well as Malaysia. We have been trading with these countries, but our engagement with them, I believe, will catapult our trade involvement with them to a higher level,” President Ramaphosa explained.

READ | President Ramaphosa calls for enhanced ASEAN-AU cooperation

The President said the same momentum would now be directed towards deepening economic ties with Switzerland, following what he described as a highly successful State Visit focused on trade and investment.

“Similarly, we expect that we will be able to raise trade dealings with Switzerland to a higher level as well, following on this very successful State Visit focused on trade matters, and our various trade departments and economic departments are going to follow through in many ways,” he said.

While acknowledging the negative impact of the tariffs, President Ramaphosa said the development has also opened new avenues for South Africa to explore broader trade partnerships.