Ramaphosa tells South Africa to prepare for loss of US-Africa trade deal

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday the country should “prepare” for the possibility of being removed from Washington’s duty-free trade programme for Africa, as ties between the two nations continue to fray.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which grants eligible sub-Saharan African countries preferential access to the US market, has been renewed until the end of 2028. South Africa is the scheme’s largest beneficiary but its eligibility has come under scrutiny as Washington steps up criticism of Pretoria, including false allegations of discrimination against white Afrikaners that South Africa rejects.

Washington in mid-September announced restrictions on visas for South Africans who promote “race-based discrimination, incite violence, or enable land confiscation without compensation in South Africa” — all issues that are disputed between the two countries. Last year, the United States launched a programme to resettle white Afrikaners who say they face persecution and violent crime in South Africa.

By September 30, the United States had admitted 16,287 South Africans under the programme over the preceding year. They were the only people granted refugee status by Washington during that period, apart from five Afghans.

The US president reviews countries’ eligibility for AGOA annually. Any removal requires 60 days’ notice to Congress and the country concerned.

I need as president to prepare us if it ever happens. So we should not go out and jump off tall buildings and think that this is the end of the world.

Ramaphosa said, conceding that the impacts would nonetheless be “devastating”. South Africa is going to look for alternative markets to minimise the impacts of such an exclusion, he added.

In 2025, the automobile employers’ organisation Naamsa said 86,000 jobs were directly tied to the accord at car manufacturers, a number that increases to 125,000 when including their sub-contractors.