Thursday is the new deadline for additional submissions before the U.S. Trade Representative decides on proposed tariffs tied to a Section 301 forced-labor enforcement probe.
South Africa used this week’s Washington hearing to seek relief from a proposed 12.5% tariff, arguing its laws already ban forced labor imports and prison-labor goods.
Pretoria also asked for exemptions for platinum group metals, vehicles, citrus, seafood, wine and nuts, saying there is no evidence those exports are made with forced labor.
The case lands amid strained U.S.-South Africa trade ties and uncertainty over renewal of AGOA, the duty-free program that has supported billions of dollars in sub-Saharan African exports.