Trump tariffs: South Africa slapped with 12. 5% duty over forced labour
Trump tariffs have officially hit South Africa, with the United States imposing a 12. 5% duty on local exports. Effective from Friday 24 July 2026, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). . .
Trump tariffs have officially hit South Africa, with the United States imposing a 12. 5% duty on local exports. Effective from Friday 24 July 2026, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) rolled out new levies against 60 trading partners to force global compliance on forced labour import bans. South Africa falls into the higher penalty bracket for failing to implement prohibitions, marking another blow to the country’s fragile economy and deteriorating diplomatic relations with Washington. According to theUSTR, the Section 301 action replaces an expiring 150-day global duty previously implemented by the Donald Trump administration. The administration pivoted to these targeted labour-based tariffs after the US Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s broader “Liberation Day” duties in February. The new two-tiered system applies a 10% tariff to countries that have committed to or implemented partial bans, such as the United Kingdom and Canada, and a 12. 5% tariff to those that have not. South Africa joins 40 other nations, including China and Russia, in the higher tier. Why is South Africa facing a 12. 5% US tariff?US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer noted that the United States has rigorously enforced a forced labour import ban for nearly a century. “It’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” said Greer, adding that the action aims to correct a distortive trade practice. Expanding on the policy, Greer explained the administration’s stance onCNN: “We’re not in favour of sweat shops and we don’t want anyone else to be in favour of it either. We’re trying to get every country to have the same kinds of protections we do to make sure that trade and forced labour isn’t occurring so that our workers, our exporters, our companies don’t have to compete against that on an unlevel playing field. ”American workers should not have to compete against goods made with forced labor because our trading partners refuse to close their doors to it. President Trump is righting this wrong by imposing tariffs to strengthen America’s competitiveness. pic. twitter. com/12r9NtaVcO— United States Trade Representative (@USTradeRep)July 23, 2026A fractured diplomatic relationshipThe imposition of these duties arrives amid escalating tensions between Pretoria and Washington. US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III recently sparked outrage bypublicly slamming South Africa’s geopolitical stance, defying earlier warnings from President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding diplomatic protocol. Taking to X (Twitter), Bozell criticised the South African government’s decision to host Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister while Deputy President Paul Mashatile deepened ties in China. “Pretoria calls this ‘non-alignment. ’ We call it what it is: A choice,” Bozell posted. “The South African people deserve an honest conversation about who their government is choosing to stand with. ”With South Africa’s African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) privileges also under threat, newly deployed ambassador to the US,Roelf Meyer, faces a daunting task to salvage vital trade ties. Which countries are affected by the new US tariffs?While certain raw materials and products are exempted to protect US domestic supply, the sweeping tariffs impact 60 economies, covering 99. 4% of US imports. Below is a breakdown of the affected trading partners and their respective tariff rates:Tariff RatePolicy StatusAffected Economies10%Adopted or committed to forced labour import bansArgentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, European Union*, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan*, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom. 12. 5%Failed to adopt forced labour import bansAlgeria, Angola, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Guyana, Hong Kong, Iraq, Israel, Japan*, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea*, Switzerland*, Thailand, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam. Note: The European Union, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland are subject to these rates net of their Most-Favored-Nation duties.