Workers and executives in the Eastern Cape automotive industry have expressed concern and anxiety after the Trump administration imposed a 30% tariff on imports from South Africa.

He left his fiancée and two daughters at home in KwaNobuhle, Nelson Mandela Bay, for a job in the technical department at Mercedes-Benz in East London, 300km away.

But now, after production at the plant was suspended for the month of July and amid uncertainty about its future because of the 30% tariffs imposed on automotive exports from South Africa to the US, the man, who asked to remain anonymous, is searching for a new job.

He said that when the plant halted production, he was left with a strange mix of emotions. While he was happy to spend time with his family, concerns over job security gnawed at him.

He went home for two weeks. He walked his daughters to school every weekday morning. He took his wife on a romantic getaway. He completed DIY projects at home.

He felt like a real family man for the first time in four years, since taking the job in East London.

But behind that was a sense of impending dread.

"If the plant halted...