Solidarity proposes tariff plan as US-SA trade tensions escalate

By Johnathan Paoli

Solidarity has announced a five-point tariff plan in response to what it calls a “broken” trade relationship between South Africa and the United States, following the imposition of a 30% US import tariff on South African goods.

Solidarity spokesperson Jaco Kleynhans on Wednesday criticised the government for its failure to protect South Africa’s economic interests, accusing the administration of neglecting urgent engagement with the US to avert the punitive tariffs, which are set to take effect early on Friday morning.

“We have seen how the African National Congress (ANC) will sacrifice the future of the country’s most vulnerable for its own preservation. The ANC’s handling of the US issue is nothing less than an act of violence against South Africa and its people,” Kleynhans said in a statement.

The move comes amid a diplomatic and economic crisis that has emerged after months of what Solidarity terms “inaction