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South Africa

South Africa signed an important FTA with the European Union back in 1999. That deal not only had lasting impacts on South Africa itself, but it set the stage for a stronger drive from the EU (and from EFTA) to get African nations to sign on to deeper liberalisation of trade and investment policies in the following decade, especially through the EU-ACP EPA negotiating process.

South Africa is member of the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) which has been negotiating an FTA with the US since many years. In 2006, SACU signed an FTA with Mercosur. In 2007, they sealed a deal with EFTA.

On its own, South Africa has a bilateral FTA with SADC (Southern Africa Development Cooperation). It also has preferential agreements with Malawi, Zimbabwe and Croatia plus a non-reciprocal trade arrangement with Mozambique. At present, it is considering further bilateral deals with Kenya, Nigeria, China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and India. In late 2011, it rejected a proposal from Turkey for an FTA claiming this would bring about destructive competition which would undermine South Africa’s industrial and employment objectives.

South Africa is also part of IBSA, the India-Brazil-SA triangle that is hoping to forge a trilateral South-South FTA.

last update: May 2012
Photo: Maersk/CC BY-SA 2.0


South Africa government officials head to US to save AGOA trade deal
A South African government delegation will embark on a charm offensive in the US this week aiming to defuse tensions with the African nation’s second-biggest trading partner over foreign policy and retain its preferential access to American markets.
Saudi-South African economic relations on a steady upward trajectory
South Africa aims to become Saudi Arabia’s gateway for African markets in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
South Africa raises poultry-import tariffs, drawing US ire
The announcement immediately drew criticism from the US government, which previously threatened to exclude South Africa from a preferential trade agreement after a disagreement over the levies in 2015.
Africa-wide free-trade deal will help SA’s economy, says Ebrahim Patel
In 2018, SA and other African nations signed the CFTA agreement, which aims to create a single continental market for goods and services
After AGOA: SA must prepare for two-way free trade agreements with US
The Trump Administration has signalled its impatience to replace the AGOA preferential trade deal with Africa with normal two-way free trade agreements.
SA and UK start making plans for post-Brexit trade
Nations agree in principle to implement interim arrangement based on existing EU partnership deal.
India-SACU trade pact talks need to be revived: South Africa
South Africa pressed for revival of the negotiations for the proposed preferential trade agreement between India and five-nation Southern African Customs Union (SACU).
Push for trade pact will polarise BRICS nations, warns S. Africa
An immediate push for a BRICS Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will polarise heavily-industrialised and lesser-industrialised nations within the five-member grouping, warned South African trade and industry minister.
60 000 tonnes de volailles américaines entreront bientôt en Afrique du sud
L’association sud-africaine des importateurs et exportateurs de viande (AMIESA) est prête à recevoir plus de 60 000 tonnes de volailles en provenance des USA.
South Africa ends trade row with US over chicken imports
South Africa has resolved a trade row with the US which threatened to throw South Africa out of its preferential trade programme over its refusal to allow the importation of American chickens.