South African officials say planned US tariffs could put 30,000 jobs at risk

South Africa's trade and industry minister on Monday said that the 30 per cent reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States could put tens of thousands of jobs at risk.

“We’ve based this on the ongoing consultations that we have with all the sectors of the economy, from automotive, agriculture and all the other sectors that are going to be impacted,” said Simphiwe Hamilton, Director-General of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.

“At this stage we are sitting at approximately 30,000 jobs that could be affected by this, if it were to be mismanaged in any manner,” he said.

Last Thursday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing new tariff rates on dozens of countries, hours before the 1 August deadline he had set for deals to be made.

While some countries received modified tariff rates, South Africa’s remained at the 30 per cent previously proposed, putting it in the top five highest levies imposed by Trump on any nation.

The US is South Africa’s third-largest trading partner (7.5 per cent of total exports), with China second at 11 per cent and the European Union the largest at 17 per cent.

South Africa’s agricultural and automotive industries are expected to be among the hardest hit.

The country is already grappling with stubbornly high unemployment rates. The official rate was 32.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 according to StatsSA, the national statistical agency.

Meanwhile, the South African government is in the process of drafting measures to support exporters hit by the new levy.

It said there will be a multilateral response to the tariffs, including ongoing diplomatic talks with Washington, outreach to other trading partners, and measures to support local businesses.

The tariffs come into effect on 8 August.