Awaiting the outcome of a trade deal between the United States and South Africa, reciprocal tariffs of 30% are set to be imposed on South African exports on 1 August 2025. With the USA being South Africa’s second biggest bilateral trade partner, after China, these tariffs are bound to impact the automotive, aluminium and steel industries especially. Over 80% of all products exported by SA to the US, will face the full brunt of the 30% reciprocal tariff increase. With such a profound impact on our economy it is important to explore how policy can respond such that it is can best serve South Africa’s interests.
As part of the IEP Programme, ERSA hosted a webinar with distinguished guests Prof Lawrence Edwards (Economics Professor at UCT), Malose Letsoalo (Chief Director responsible for bilateral trade relations for all countries outside the African continent at the DTIC) and Duane Newman (a Partner at EY), on 4 July. In this webinar Prof Lawrence Edwards presented his most recent research on the implications of US tariffs on South African exports, and discussants Malose Letsoalo and Duane Newman unpacked how policy can respond such that it can best serve South Africa’s interests. By gaining insight into the risks these tariffs pose, firms can adapt to mitigate them. For those of you interested in trade and current affairs, this is an opportunity to learn from one of South Africa’s leading trade economists and learn more about policy actions and industry responses.
For ease of listening, we share this webinar as a podcast, but for those of you that would like to watch it, or download the accompanying slides, please see the related video below.
