Keypoints:
- Trump imposes 30% tariff on South African exports
- White farmers he once supported among those hit hardest
- Thousands of jobs in citrus sector now at risk
SOUTH Africa’s white farming community, once vocally defended by US President Donald Trump, is now facing the brunt of his latest trade move—a sweeping 30 percent tariff on South African agricultural exports to the United States.
The tariffs, set to take effect on August 1, target key goods including citrus fruits, wine, sugar cane, soybeans and beef—products that until now enjoyed duty-free access under the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA).
The move is particularly striking given Trump’s past claims that white South Africans were being persecuted. He previously cut aid to South Africa, publicly criticised its president, and even invited white Afrikaners to relocate to the US as refugees.
‘We feel betrayed’: white farmers decry policy U-turn
Krisjan Mouton, a sixth-generation citrus farmer in Citrusdal, Western Cape, said the tariffs directly contradict Trump’s earlier support.
‘It doesn’t make sense to us to welcome South African farmers in America and then the rest that stays behind … to punish them,’ Mouton told Reuters.
‘It’s going to have a huge impact,’ he said. ‘It’s not profitable to export anymore to the USA.’
South Africa, the world’s second-largest citrus exporter after Spain, earns about $100 million annually from the US market. That success has long depended on preferential treatment through AGOA—now set to end.
Trade penalty affects farmers of all races
While Afrikaner farmers dominate land ownership—holding roughly three-quarters of South Africa’s freehold land—the damage won’t be limited to them.
Boitshoko Ntshabele, CEO of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA), warned that communities across racial lines would suffer.
‘A 30 percent tariff would wreak havoc on communities that have, for decades, focused on producing specifically for the US market,’ he said.
South Africa’s citrus enters the US market during its winter months, ensuring American consumers access to fruit year-round. However, redirecting this produce elsewhere isn’t easy, as other countries often have strict size and phytosanitary rules.
Western Cape jobs on the line
In Citrusdal, a farming hub nestled in the Cederberg mountains, the CGA estimates around 35,000 jobs could be at risk.
Mouton’s own farm employs 21 permanent workers and nearly 60 seasonal labourers during peak harvest. For him and others, the tariff is more than a geopolitical headline—it’s a local crisis.
Nearby at the Goede Hoop Citrus facility, workers continue sorting fruit bound for export. But Andre Nel, the managing director, warns that without the US market, business won’t hold.
‘Farmers will go bankrupt. For sure there would be job losses within our sector,’ Nel told Reuters. ‘I don’t even want to think about it.’
Pretoria pushes for a diplomatic fix
President Cyril Ramaphosa has stated that trade talks with Washington are ongoing and insists the tariff decision is based on a misreading of South Africa’s trade profile.
Meanwhile, the CGA is urging the government to expedite market expansion into countries like China and India. Still, exporting there poses its own hurdles, from high tariffs to strict plant health requirements.
For now, thousands of South African farmers—especially those Trump once claimed to support—are left bracing for impact.
