US Tariffs Jeopardize South African Businesses and Livelihoods

The latest tariff strategy from the United States has angered the business community in South Africa, which claims it is threatening thousands of jobs and upsetting the livelihoods of regular people.

President Donald Trump of the United States launched a series of broad tariffs against its trading partners last Wednesday. One of these duties, which will take effect on April 9, is a 31 percent tax on South African goods.

According to the Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA) of Southern Africa, the increased U.S. tariffs directly threaten about 35,000 jobs in the citrus industry. Citrus fruits from South Africa are heavily exported to the US, and the tariffs may force the closure of numerous small and medium-sized farms.

According to a warning from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), the mining, jewelry, automobile, chemical, and clothing manufacturing industries will be impacted by the levies.

“The benefits for now will actually [not be] felt by the United States’ consumers who have to pay more,” stated Emanuel Matambo, director of the Africa-China Research Center at the University of Johannesburg. “We do not know exactly what economic nationalism is prompting Trump to go this particular route,” Matambo said.

Matambo added that although the new U.S. tariff strategy is disrupting international trade, it might also encourage other nations to work together more closely.

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