African countries are braced for the US to impose new tariffs on imports from Aug. 1.
Washington has announced a number of deals — including with the EU, Japan, and UK — but none with African nations. Most countries will face a baseline 10% tax on their exports but some face higher tariffs.
Lesotho is set for a 50% levy, the highest in Africa, prompting the nation to declare a state of emergency over the threat to its textile industry.
South Africa, the continent’s largest economy, faces a 30% tariff on its exports. Pretoria said its officials were still pursuing a trade deal. But a senior South African diplomat said talks had been complicated by Washington’s demands around laws that address racial inequalities caused by apartheid.
Relations between the countries have been strained in recent months over Pretoria’s condemnation of Israel’s war in Gaza and US President Donald Trump’s false claim of a white “genocide” in South Africa. He repeated the allegation on Tuesday while telling reporters he did not plan to attend the G20 summit in the country in November. “I’ve had a lot of problems with South Africa,” he said.
