The BRICS nation laid out why it disputes the Trump tariff rate.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff rate for his country and disputed the calculation that underpins it, saying it was not an accurate interpretation of the facts.
Trump sent a letter to Ramaphosa on Monday, July 7, informing him that BRICS nation South Africa would face a 30 percent reciprocal tariff from August 1, 2025, to reflect the trade barriers he said the U.S. faces. Trump sent similar letters to 13 other countries.
In a statement, Ramaphosa said South Africa’s understanding of the trade data is that the average tariff on imported goods stands at 7.6 percent, but more than three-quarters of U.S. goods entered on a zero percent „most favored nation tariff“.
