“SA Won’t Flinch”: Gent Reassures Mzansi They Won’t Be Hit Hard After Getting Kicked Out of AGOA

• A content creator broke down what it means for South Africa after being removed from AGOA
• He explained that the country's trade exposure to the US is only around 5% and preparations have been underway
• South Africans shared mixed reactions, with some saying Trump is forcing the government to work harder

A local content creator got people talking after he reassured South Africans about the impact of being kicked out of AGOA. TikTok user @apov12345 shared a video explaining what happened after Donald Trump announced that South Africa would no longer receive subsidies or aid from the United States. The man broke down what AGOA is and what it means for the country moving forward.

He explained that AGOA stands for the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which is a US trade programme that gives African countries duty-free access to American markets. This means African countries can sell their products in America without paying duty fees. South Africa has been left out of the new list, which came into effect after the previous agreement expired in September. The man explained that South African products will now be less competitive because they need to pay duties to be sold in the US.

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The man said the total amount of trade South Africa has with the US sits at around 5%, which used to be 6% to 7% before the tariffs. He explained that not all South African products will stop being sold in the US because many items are things other countries don't have. The South African government has been preparing for this because the US has been threatening to remove the country from AGOA for a long time, especially after South Africa took a certain country to the ICJ.

Car manufacturing companies like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Ford have been rerouting their products to be sold in Europe, the rest of Africa and Asia instead of the US. The minister of agriculture has also been working to reroute agricultural products to Asia, signing agreements with China to sell more produce in that region. The man said farmers will be impacted the most because agricultural products were one of the highest things South Africa sold to the US.

According to BusinessTech, relations between South Africa and the United States have hit a deep freeze, with economists warning that the impact will reverberate in the economy for years to come. The White House boycotted the G20 meeting hosted in Johannesburg and repeated false genocide claims against South Africa. President Donald Trump stated that South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 G20 summit in Miami. Trade relations appear to have stalled, with no significant updates on negotiations over Trump's reciprocal tariffs.

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Mzansi reacts to the video

Social media users reacted to TikToker @apov12345's clip:

@south_africans_views wrote:

"Trump is giving South Africa a chance to be a superpower, we need to stand up for ourselves."

@mahlape_shabangu added:

"South Africa has also blocked chicken coming from America. I saw that this morning. Interesting times ahead."

@malone_zaza gushed:

"Viva Donald Trump, we need to produce what we eat, let Africa trade with Africa 🌍 we don't need the USA."

@okayitslife said:

"I actually like Trump... He's forcing our government to start being a government. Their dependence on the USA was making them lazy. Now, they have an opportunity to actually work, and I hope they do."

@njabulo_ asked:

"Which ports are they going to use to send products to the US from the rest of Africa. This is interesting."

Watch the TikTok clip below:

More on South Africa and US relations

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• Briefly News recently reported on a woman who reacted to Afrikaners applying for refugee status in the US and wanting to know if they could still visit SA.
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• A woman called out propaganda about crime in SA after an American claimed Camps Bay is more dangerous than Gaza.

Source: Briefly News