JOHANNESBURG - South Africa will continue talks with the US in a bid to get concessions on import tariffs on aluminium and steel, Communications Minister Nomvula Mokonyane said yesterday.
Briefing journalists on the outcomes of Wednesday’s fortnightly cabinet meeting, Mokonyane said the government was disappointed at the US decision to not exempt SA from the 10percent tariffs on imports of aluminium and 25percent on steel.
“The SA government will continue to engage with the US authorities to find a mutually acceptable outcome,” she said. “Cabinet encourages domestic exporters to continue to lobby US buyers to apply for product exemptions, as SA companies export niche products and semi-processed products for further processing in the US.”
In March, US President Donald Trump announced the tariffs to protect producers in the US. South Africa applied for an exemption, but was turned down.