South Africa in 'negotiations' with US over tariffs as deadline pushed back by a week

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00:00The 30 percent U.S. tariffs on South African products are due to take effect within seven

00:05days after the 1st of August. They are among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa amid tense

00:12relations. The country's President Cyril Ramaphosa says discussions with Washington are ongoing.

00:17We've got to engage with them and find a way to reach a settlement. So within the window

00:25that's still open, we're hoping that we will find a way to settle this matter. So intensive

00:33negotiations are now underway. Among the sectors hit hard, South Africa's automotive and steel

00:40industries. This filed manufacturer in Johannesburg employs 200 people. The company fears the 30

00:48percent tariff will force it to leave the U.S. market, which currently accounts for 80 percent

00:52of its exports. The longer the tariffs stay in place, the longer the situation will continue

01:03to disable us. Wine, nuts, avocados and fruit are exported to the United States from South

01:10Africa in large quantities. The U.S. imports between six and eight percent of the country's

01:17citrus fruit production. One producer in Citrus Dahl, 200 kilometers north of Cape Town,

01:23says his business will adjust. We can survive this. We probably have to cut off a couple

01:28of hectares, take two steps back, wait four or five years and then move forward. But what

01:33is the reality? If we cut off 100 hectares, there's going to be 200 people looking for a job

01:39next year in Citrus Dahl. The governor of the South African Central Bank says Trump's tariffs

01:45could result in 100,000 jobs lost in Africa's largest economy.

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