A general view of a container terminal at a port in Durban, South Africa, April 10th.Logan Ward/Reuters
African countries, highly vulnerable to US tariff hikes and foreign aviation cuts, are hoping to tighten President Donald Trump with various trade concessions, deportation agreements and diplomatic operations.
Unlike Canada and China, African countries lack the economic influence to counterattack with retaliatory tariffs. So they are experimenting with other tactics to convince Trump to reverse a series of executive orders and other hard-hit policies, including punitive tariffs currently under review.
Some analysts and politicians are calling for a unified continental response to establish a strong front against Washington. But instead, Africa's response is unilateral and unadjusted, with some governments offering a complete surrender.
Zimbabwe, for example, excludes all customs duties on US imports. South Sudan was hit with a ban on US entry visas entirely and agreed to accept deported immigrants from the US after refusing to accept some of them previously. South Africa has appointed a respected businessman as a special envoy to try and curry favors in Washington.
None of these tactics have worked so far. The Trump administration, like most other countries around the world, continues to impose 10% baseline tariffs on African countries, and in July, when the 90-day review ends, the much higher US tariff threat is still looming. It refused to reverse the ban on the South Sudan visa or cuts in foreign aid that seriously hurt Africa.
After the review, if the White House decision revives the decision in early April, South Africa will face 31% tariffs, while several other African countries, including small Lesotho, face the world's highest 50% tariffs. Tariffs can have a catastrophic impact on the economy and destroy many of the textile sectors of countries such as Lesotho and Madagascar.
Zimbabwe was first folded. “In the spirit of building mutually beneficial and positive relationships with the United States under the leadership of President Trump, I instruct the Zimbabwean government to implement a suspension of all tariffs imposed on the goods that have created the United States.”
In response to Trump's threat to the 18% tariff on Zimbabwean imports, the elimination of tariffs on US goods has sparked criticism from several quarters. Former Finance Minister Tendi Bitty called it “myopia, selfishness, suicide” and “huge betrayal” of other countries in the region.
Lesotho Prime Minister Samuel Matekane faces the possibility of a 50% tariff and has declared that the government is responding to Trump's threat by “actively removing obstacles to US investment” in sectors such as energy, hospitality and telecommunications. His government later announced a 10-year operating license for Starlink Satellite Internet Services, owned by Trump's adviser Elon Musk, but denied that the license was linked to tariff issues.
Meanwhile, South Sudan has offered a terrible apology to the Trump administration after being hit by a visa ban for refusing to accept Africans who have been deported from the US.
The South Sudan government initially claimed that one of the dozens of US deportees was a Congolese citizen who was not allowed to enter South Sudan. However, the government quickly retreated when Washington announced a full ban on entry visas, including revoking all South Sudan visas now in the United States.
“We apologize for the inconvenience this United States has caused and we are reiterated our desire to resolve this issue quickly and in a spirit of cooperation,” Vice President Benjamin Volmel said in a statement earlier this month.
Within days, South Sudan accepted all US fortresses, including men reportedly reportedly reportedly reportedly Congolese. It also provided ensuring access to domestic “strategic resources.” However, the Trump administration maintains a visa ban.
South Africa, a target of some of Trump's toughest moves, including cuts in aid and increased tariffs, has worked to win meetings with White House officials over the past few weeks, but hasn't been that successful. Now, to try to resolve the conflict, he has appointed businessman and former politician McEbisi Jonas as a special envoy to Washington.
The government appeared to believe the Trump administration was impressed by Jonas' business qualifications as chairman of major mobile phone group MTN, and his political qualifications as former deputy finance minister. He gained fame as an anti-corruption stubborn man in 2016 when he reported that he had refused to bribe millions of dollars from Guptas, an Indian business family with close links to then-President Jacobzma.
However, within hours of his appointment, US critics in South Africa have edited comments from 2020 that Trump described as “racist homophobia” and “narcissistic right-wing.”
The South African government said that the comments five years ago should not affect Jonas' diplomatic work as he was a private citizen at the time.
Others opposed. “He's dead in Washington,” South African political commentator Judge Malala said this week that he predicted Jonas' “humiliation” if he attempts to meet Trump administration officials.
