Pretoria sends officials to Washington for talks

South Africa has sent officials to the United States to prepare for trade negotiations after attempting for months to strike a deal with the Trump administration to roll back steep tariffs, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 30% tariff on imports from Africa’s most developed economy last month after Ramaphosa’s government made several unsuccessful attempts to propose a trade agreement.

“The Presidency and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition have sent representatives … who are preparing for the further formal negotiations with the United States government, which should be taking place in just a few days,” Ramaphosa told parliament.

He said the South African officials would meet representatives of Trump’s administration, lawmakers and business figures in New York and Washington.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not immediately respond to a Reuters request to confirm the talks.

In the days before the tariffs were implemented, South African officials said Washington had not responded to their offers or come to the negotiating table. They submitted a revised proposal for trade deal a month ago.

Ramaphosa said South Africa’s leverage was its natural resources, particularly critical minerals, and that discussions with the U.S. were revolving around that.

“Even as we may well want to export the critical minerals, we want them to leave the shores of South Africa as finished products … So that is the type of discussion that we are having with them,” he said.

South Africa’s relationship with the U.S. has reached a diplomatic low this year over a number of issues, including Trump’s unfounded accusations of persecution against the white minority. Those claims prompted the creation of a refugee programme for white South Africans.

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen told Reuters last month that to secure lower tariffs South Africa might need to address some of Trump’s criticisms, including his opposition to affirmative action laws aimed at redressing apartheid-era racial discrimination.

• Reporting by Sfundo Parakozov and Alexander Winning; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Joe Bavier