Toxic Relations: Trump's Hostility Towards South Africa Raises Economic Concerns

The relationship between US President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has taken a turn for the worse, with the Trump administration treating South Africa like a pariah state.

The tensions between the two nations are multifaceted, with Trump's administration accusing South Africa of persecuting white people, bringing a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and strengthening ties with Iran.

The US has blacklisted South African envoys, refused to send top-level officials to meetings, and threatened to impose high tariffs on South African goods. The latest development is the rejection of President Ramaphosa's special envoy, Mcebisi Jonas, who was denied a diplomatic visa in May. Jonas's appointment was aimed at improving South Africa's rock-bottom relationship with the US.

The strained relations between the two countries could have devastating economic consequences for South Africa. Trump's threat to impose 30% tariffs on South African goods from August 1 could lead to around 100,000 job losses, according to South Africa's central bank chief Lesetja Kganyago. This would further exacerbate the country's unemployment rate, which stands at a staggering 32.9%.

According to Priyal Singh, a South Africa foreign policy expert, the Trump administration's strategy is to give South Africa the "cold shoulder" and cut off channels of communication. W Gyude Moore, a policy analyst at the Center for Global Development, believes that the differences between the two countries may be irreconcilable, and South Africa may need to strengthen ties with other countries.

The tariffs would hit South Africa's agriculture sector hard, which is ironic given Trump's claims of supporting Afrikaner farmers. The US has also accused South Africa's "black empowerment" policy of being discriminatory against white people, while Ramaphosa's government sees it as necessary to address the legacy of apartheid.