With the 1 August deadline upon us and no trade agreement yet, experts agree that relations between South Africa and the US would need a reset and cool heads to negotiate.

With hours to go before US President Donald Trump's tariffs are expected to come into effect, South Africa announced "urgent interventions" to support exporters impacted by the tariffs.

"The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) has announced a set of measures in response to the imminent 30% tariff hike on South African exports to the United States, which comes into effect on 1 August 2025.

"These urgent interventions are part of the DTIC's ongoing commitment to protecting jobs, preserving market access to the United States, and promoting export diversification to alternate markets in Africa, the European Union, Asia, Latin America, and other strategic partners," Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau said in a statement on Thursday night, 31 July.

This comes hours after Tau told Radio 702 that South Africa was preparing a last-minute "enhanced" trade proposal in the hope of avoiding Trump's punishing tariffs.

Key among the interventions, Tau said, was the establishment of an export support desk, which would serve as a direct point...