South Africa has besides sought to enactment the imaginable interaction of losing Agoa benefits into perspective, arguing that the country's broader commercialized narration with the US extends good beyond the programme.
Government figures amusement that astir 89% of South African exports to the US entered nether mean World Trade Organization most-favoured-nation presumption successful 2025, portion astir 10% benefited from Agoa, down from 28% successful 2024.
"The worth of South African exports nether the programme fell to astir $1.7bn (£1.3bn) successful 2025, from $4bn the erstwhile year," Tau said.
Bilateral commercialized betwixt the 2 countries reached $28.8bn successful 2025, portion much than 600 American companies run successful South Africa, supporting astir 134,600 jobs.
Pretoria says the 2 economies person complementary commercialized interests. South Africa supplies 12 of the 50 minerals considered captious by the US, arsenic good arsenic 70% of American isotopes used, among different things, successful crab treatment.
South African manufacturers besides usage American inputs successful products exported to the US nether Agoa, including vehicles and boats.
Oxford Economics elder economist Jee-A van der Linde Washington's determination volition enactment further unit connected South Africa's manufacturing sector, informing that affected exports whitethorn beryllium hard to redirect to different markets.
"This determination comes arsenic planetary commercialized flows remained disrupted and South Africa faces increasing contention from inexpensive Chinese imports, peculiarly successful the automotive industry," helium said.
However, helium noted that South Africa had antecedently managed to redirect immoderate tariff-affected exports to markets including Europe and China.
US Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III said it was regrettable that South African policies led to its termination from Agoa.
"This was a predictable and preventable result resulting from the rejection by South Africa's authorities of existent concerns raised by the US," helium wrote connected X.
The announcement comes amid strained relations betwixt Washington and some countries, with the projected termination threatening their entree to preferential commercialized arrangements with the US.
Last year, Trump accused South Africa of persecuting its achromatic number and launched a programme for achromatic Afrikaners to get asylum successful the US.
Trump besides repeated wide discredited claims of a genocide of South Africa's achromatic population.
In Rwanda's case, Washington besides raised concerns astir quality rights, governmental pluralism, the regularisation of instrumentality and workers' rights.
The determination comes hardly a week aft Rwanda's defence ministry was deed with sanctions by US Treasury for its alleged relation successful the equipped rebellion successful eastbound DR Congo.
The US Treasury said Rwanda's defence ministry directed thousands of troops to combat alongside M23 rebels successful eastbound DR Congo, providing weapons, equipment, logistics and training.
Rwanda has denied backing the M23 contempt overwhelming evidence.
Rwanda saw its exports to the US emergence to $43.3 cardinal successful 2025, up from $13.1 cardinal successful 2024, according to US import data.
Alexander Venter, an Oxford Economics economist, said Washington accounted for astir 2% of Rwanda's merchandise exports successful 2025, with lone astir 4% of its exports to the US benefiting from Agoa preferences.
Neighbouring African countries and Asian markets continued to predominate Rwanda's trade, Venter added.
English (US)·