Our agricultural sector’s relationship with the US is a two-way stream that is mutually beneficial based on intrinsic value. When preparing for the Agoa summit, this is the narrative we should be pushing.  The comments by US Ambassador Reuben Brigety regarding theLady R shipments sent the South African currency plummeting and inflamed fears about South Africa’s future trade relations with the US. This is a high-stakes issue for...

24 May 2023

Amid diplomatic tensions with the US over an alleged sale of arms to Russia, South Africa is continuing to make the case for its ongoing designation as a beneficiary of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which extends preferential trade access to the giant American market on certain goods and is due to expire in 2025. In a briefing ahead of his Budget Vote, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel said that...

24 May 2023

South Africa’s citrus exports to the United States have over recent years grown to a value of $132m (2022), a consistent performer during the past few turbulent seasons – but it is at risk if the United States decides not to extend their free trade agreement with South Africa due to the latter’s recent closeness to President Putin.During the Clinton administration the United States introduced AGOA, the African Growth and Opportunity Act,...

23 May 2023

The national security adviser to South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa said it was in his country’s “own interest” to investigate a US accusation that arms were covertly transported to Russia from a Cape Town naval base, as Pretoria tried to calm a diplomatic storm. In an attempt to emphasise South Africa’s neutrality in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, its foreign ministry said that Ramaphosa would speak to Ukraine’s...

13 May 2023

The United States (US) has accused the South African government of supplying ammunition to the Russian Federation through a ship that docked at a naval base in Simon’s Town in South Africa’s Western Cape province late last year. This shock allegation highlights the increasingly strained relations between the US and South Africa and places billions of Rand worth of preferential trade between the countries at risk. “We are confident that...

12 May 2023

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national security adviser Sydney Mufamadi is in Washington at the head of a delegation lobbying the Biden administration and congressional leaders. This comes amid concerns that South Africa’s controversial stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine is jeopardising SA’s economic and political relations with America. Sydney Mufamadi’s team is likely to focus its efforts on trying to ensure that South Africa...

27 April 2023

South Africa’s citrus sector in the western parts of the country has always retained a keen interest in US political views over promoting African trade to the US Promoting better access for Africa into the US is done mainly under the AGOA (African Growth and Opportunities ACT) which have benefited exporters from Africa since 2000. It will now be under review and perhaps re-negotiated during the next year if a new act has to come into...

25 April 2023

In the middle of an energy crisis and greylisting, SA could do without antagonising one of its biggest trade and investment partners. When SA welcomed the Russian warship Admiral Gorshkov — with the Kremlin’s pro-war symbol, the letter “Z”, on prominent display — it sparked a new diplomatic crisis with the US that could have profound economic consequences.    This past week the US Congress introduced a resolution to...

26 February 2023

The US is seeking to deepen its economic integration with South Africa in pursuit of policies to diversify global supply chains, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. Closer ties with nations that share the US’s economic values will help promote so-called friendshoring, in which allies cooperate on manufacturing and sourcing raw materials, Yellen said at a meeting with South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on...

25 January 2023

There was agreement on the need to create a more attractive environment for American companies to invest in South Africa. These are just some of the sentiments echoed by President Cyril Ramaphosa as he concluded his official working visit to the United States at the invitation of US President Joe Biden. Ramaphosa landed on Thursday in Washington DC, in the United States of America.  The two leaders deliberated on a range of critical...

18 September 2022

Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the meeting with the congressional black caucus and anti-apartheid veterans during his visit to the United States: Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Dr Naledi Pandor South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States, Ms Nomaindia Mfeketo Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Ms Joyce Beatty Spokesperson of the Rainbow Push Coalition, Prof Jonathan Jackson...

16 September 2022