Staff Reporter
South Africa will press the US to reduce or withdraw a new 12.5 per cent tariff on its exports, as Pretoria prepares regulations aimed at strengthening its prohibition on goods produced using forced or child labour.
Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) Minister Parks Tau said the government would continue discussions with the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) after Washington imposed the levy following a Section 301 investigation into the enforcement of forced-labour import restrictions.
“Government will continue to engage with the USTR on the Section 301 tariffs with a view to either eliminate or reduce the current tariff imposed on our country,” the dtic cited Tau saying on Saturday.
The tariff places South Africa among 41 economies that the USTR concluded did not impose and effectively enforce adequate prohibitions on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.
A further 19 economies were found to have laws prohibiting imports produced through forced labour and will face a lower tariff of 10 per cent.
The decision forms part of US tariffs imposed on products from 60 economies under Section 301 investigations into the “Acts, Policies, and Practices of Various Economies Related to the Failure of Each Economy to Impose and Effectively Enforce a Prohibition on the Importation of Goods Produced with Forced Labor”.
Pretoria said it intended to publish a notice in the Government Gazette seeking public comment on proposed regulations prohibiting the importation of goods produced wholly or partly through forced labour or child labour.
The regulatory move could strengthen South Africa’s case for relief from the tariff as its exporters contend with uncertainty in their access to the US market.
The US decision followed written submissions from the South African government, organised labour and the private sector, as well as consultations between South African officials and the USTR’s office in May 2026.
The South African government also testified at a public hearing held by the US Section 301 Committee earlier in July.
The economic effect of the new measure will be softened by exemptions covering several important South African exports.
Products already subject to tariffs under Section 232, including automobiles, automotive components, steel and aluminium, will not be subject to the additional Section 301 levy.
South African products covered by the exemptions include macadamia nuts, oranges, limes, tea, spices, seeds, cane sugar, orange and lime juice, syrups and chemicals.
Critical minerals, platinum-group metals, precious metals, isotopes, civil aircraft and their parts and components, and pharmaceuticals are also exempt from the tariff.
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