President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) as a one-way arrangement that benefits only the US.
Ramaphosa said, therefore, there was nothing much South Africa would lose from being removed from Agoa by the US this week, saying he was more interested in the strengthening bi-lateral relations between the two countries.
The president was reacting to these developments for the first time after casting his vote at the Hyde Park High School voting station for the 2026 local government elections.
According to Ramaphosa, trade relations between South Africa and the US would continue despite the termination from Agoa.
READ: SA’s Agoa exports dropped 57% ahead of US announcement
In any event, he continued, being removed from Agoa was not permanent as countries are sometimes removed and reinstated in no time, and South Africa was not the only country affected.
Rwanda has also been removed from Agoa alongside South Africa.
Agoa a one-way road for US
“The exclusion from Agoa is indeed a negative for us but we are not the only ones who have been excluded because a number of countries in our continent have from time to time been excluded for a variety of reasons,” said Ramaphosa.
“We must understand that Agoa is a unilateral trade arrangement that the United States of America decides on doing. We want to focus more on a bi-literal trade agreement where both parties sat down and negotiate trade rules and trade mechanisms.
“That in our view, will enforce and reconfirm our own sovereignty and that of the US. There is a lot that both countries can offer each other, and we prefer that it should be done on a negotiated basis.”
The exclusion from Agoa marked the highest escalation since the diplomatic fallout between Pretoria and Washington under Donald Trump.
The US president has been hostile towards SA since the propaganda pushed by AfriSol (AfriForum and Solidarity) movement regarding the treatment of white South Africans in the country.
READ: SA auto industry bodies warn US AGOA blow threatens jobs
The situation was worsened by South Africa’s refusal to relax its black economic empowerment requirements for Trump’s friend, billionaire Elon Musk, to set up Starlink in the country as part of his large scale rollout across the globe.
Ramaphosa says much as South Africa benefited from Agoa, the exclusion was not the end of the world as the country had been diversifying its trade deals by expanding in other countries through the trade, industry and competition department.
RSA international trade not reliant on USA
“The diversification has now become the order of the day and even though the liberation day tariff increase process started, we started diversifying and many of our companies are already with a number of other countries,” said Ramaphosa.
“And by the way, our trade relations with the US do not only revolve around Agoa, we also have trade dealings with the US on a variety of products which is outside Agoa.
“So, whilst we are removed from Agoa, our trade relations with the US continue and we want it to get better through bi-lateral dealing.”
Ramaphosa said he was hopeful that South Africa would be returned to Agoa, although he was not sure what it would take to get to that point since the genesis of the fallout itself is not clear.
“Even in the communication from the US, they have left a window open to say that if they perceive that things have changed – and I do not know what those things are – there may be readmission into Agoa.”
- President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) as a one-way arrangement that benefits only the US.
- Ramaphosa said, therefore, there was nothing much South Africa would lose from being removed from Agoa by the US this week, saying he was more interested in the strengthening bi-lateral relations between the two countries.
- The president was reacting to these developments for the first time after casting his vote at the Hyde Park High School voting station for the 2026 local government elections.
- According to Ramaphosa, trade relations between South Africa and the US would continue despite the termination from Agoa.
- READ: SA’s Agoa exports dropped 57% ahead of US announcement In any event, he continued, being removed from Agoa was not permanent as countries are sometimes removed and reinstated in no time, and South Africa was not the only country affected.
