U.S. Highest Tariffs on SA – No Evidence of Forced Labour Found
OPINION +
The United States has placed South Africa in its highest tariff category (12.5% additional duty) over baseless allegations of forced labour. But here’s what the data and records actually show:
What the U.S. claims:
· That South African goods are produced using forced or prison labour
What the evidence says:
SA’s legal framework already prohibits prison-made goods for export…Customs Act Section 80 explicitly bans such imports into the U.S.
SA is a signatory to ILO Convention 29 and 105, with active enforcement mechanisms
In 2025, SA secured multiple convictions under the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act – with sentences up to 20 years
The U.S. has yet to produce a single verifiable case of forced labour in SA’s export supply chains
Pretoria has formally requested evidence and offered full cooperation – no response received. Because there is none.
Economic impact on SA:
· R108 billion+ in exports at risk (autos, citrus, machinery)
· Thousands of jobs in vulnerable communities
Political analyst and revolutionary Sakaria Shikomba
“We are witnessing the perpetual imperial pirates perpetuate terrorism on not just South Africa but the entire Africa. And this is the result of standing for the people of Gaza who are being ethnically cleansed by the holy terrorists.”
Let that sink in.
South Africa took a moral stand…the only nation brave enough to drag Israel to the ICJ for genocide. Now Washington retaliates with economic warfare. Coincidence ? Absolutely not.
This isn’t about forced labour. This is about punishment. About sending a message to any African nation that dares to defy Western interests. About starving our economy into submission so we learn our place.
But here’s what they don’t understand:
We’ve been beaten before. We’ve been sanctioned before. We’ve been isolated before.
We are still standing.
They call us aggressors for defending Palestinian children. They call us criminals for protecting our sovereignty. They call us liars when the evidence says otherwise.
The world is watching. And the world sees exactly who the real terrorists are.