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Cargo ships are loaded with containers as it is docked at the port of Bangkok, in Bangkok, Thailand, April 3, 2025.
Political Analyst Thembisa Fakude says a global trade war is inevitable, as various countries are likely to retaliate against the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.
Last night, Trump announced tariffs on nearly all goods entering the United States.
These measures include a minimum tax of 10 percent on all imports, with higher rates applied to goods from trading partners that he claims are taking advantage of the US.
Impact of US imposed import tariffs: Tshetlhe Litheko
Fakude says the biggest question is what role the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will play in this situation.
“South Africa is expected to also impose tariffs to the American products coming our way and all of these other countries that have been slapped with these tariffs are going to be doing the same. Now the question is what will be the role of the World Trade Organisation henceforth. If you are going to have Trump taking his unilateral decision that deciding how this is supposed done throughout world not withstanding of course that he remains or at least the United States remain part of the World Trade Organisation. What’s the use of that platform henceforth because that platform was basically meant to introduce and maintain some sort of harmony within the signatories and countries around the world.”
Meanwhile, Trade Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau says they are still trying to make sense of the new tariffs imposed on South Africa by the United States.
Tau says it’s not clear how the US arrived at the 60% duties that South Africa is imposing on US goods into the country.
Speaking at the Gauteng Investment Conference in Johannesburg, Tau says South African tariffs for US goods are much lower.
“We are all trying to work out how the US arrived at 60% discounted to 30% as the tariffs that we are having and therefore and the discounts. In reality our tariffs average on the basis of most favoured nations, the tariffs estimated at 7,6% and that’s our calculations and of course we are speculating what the US is calculating and this could include the trade balance and this could include other considerations but at this point we are going to need clarity from the US as to how they arrived at the number and how they would want to engage. I think as indicated by the president, we are committed to engaging with the United States of America.”
Tau responds to US tariffs
