The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) notes with deep concern the recent pronouncements by U.S. President Donald Trump that he is going ahead with the imposition 30% tariff on imports into the United States. This reckless proposal, dressed in the language of “America First,” has ignited a global trade war which began with reciprocal tariffs by China and Canada.
A 30% Tariff: An Assault on Jobs, Industry and Sovereignty
Should Trump’s proposed tariffs come into effect on the 1st of August, the consequences for the South African working-class will be severe. They will cripple South African export industries, many of which are already reeling from internal crises such as:
• Load shedding and electricity grid collapse,
• Dysfunctional ports and rail logistics,
• Water and sanitation failures in industrial areas,
• Currency volatility, inflation, and depressed consumer demand.
The most vulnerable sectors include:
• Steel and aluminium, which are capital-intensive and export-driven;
• Agriculture and agro-processing, including citrus, wine, and nuts — industries that sustain rural economies and seasonal workers;
• Clothing, textiles and footwear, where competition is already intense and margins are thin;
• Automotive components and vehicles, which rely heavily on global value chains and U.S. markets.
These sectors employ hundreds of thousands of workers — many of them already precariously employed or in low-wage jobs. A 30% import tariff from the United States could easily push them into mass retrenchments, factory closures and rural collapse.
An Economy on the Brink
According to Stats SA’s most recent data, 41.9% of the expanded labour force is unemployed, while youth unemployment exceeds 60%. These are not mere statistics — they are a lived reality of despair, hunger, and rising violence in our communities. Any further disruption to export earnings and jobs could be the tipping point toward widespread economic breakdown.
South Africa’s over-reliance on extractive exports and trade with the West is a legacy of colonial dependency. Trump’s proposal exposes just how dangerous that dependency is.
Let us be clear: Trump’s proposal is not about fair trade. It is an attack on multilateralism, solidarity, and the right of developing countries to industrialise.
SAFTU Rejects the NDP and Calls for Alternatives Based on the SDGs
We reject the National Development Plan (NDP), which has utterly failed to reduce inequality, create decent work, or build an inclusive industrial economy. Instead, SAFTU calls for economic planning and public investment aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — especially:
• Goal 1: No Poverty,
• Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth,
• Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and
• Goal 10: Reduced Inequality.
This moment demands a shift away from neoliberalism, austerity and trade dependence, and toward a worker-centred industrial strategy based on sovereignty, redistribution, and solidarity.
What Must Be Done
SAFTU calls on the South African government to:
• Urgently convene a national economic crisis summit with labour, civil society and progressive economists;
• Launch a strategy to diversify South Africa’s trade and investment partners, especially across Africa, Asia and Latin America;
• Accelerate public infrastructure renewal, port and rail rehabilitation, and industrial localisation;
• Strengthen ties with international trade unions, particularly in the U.S., to build pressure against Trump’s regressive trade agenda.
Global Solidarity is the Only Shield
SAFTU commits to mobilising through the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and other platforms to resist the rise of economic nationalism and imperial protectionism. We must not allow a billionaire like Donald Trump to dictate the terms of global trade while workers in the South are forced to pay the price.
A Trump-imposed 30% tariff would be a disaster for South Africa’s workers, rural communities, exporters, and informal traders alike. It would deepen poverty, widen inequality, and undermine our sovereign right to develop. It must be rejected outright — and met with bold, people-driven alternatives that prioritise jobs, justice, and solidarity over elite profits and foreign dependency.
A Statement was issued on behalf of SAFTU by General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.
For more details, contact the National Spokesperson at:
Newton Masuku
066 168 2157
Newtonm@saftu.org.za
