Motor Industry Staff Association Calls on SA Government To Repair Relations With Donald Trump

• The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to urgently repair relations with the United States
• This came after the South African government and Trump's administration engaged in unsavoury diplomatic spats which could threaten the African Growth Opportunity Act
• MISA's Chief Executive Officer of Operations Martle Keyter said the country cannot afford a US boycott and spoke to Briefly News about the impact of a US boycott

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, provided local and international political analysis and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his nine years of experience.

JOHANNESBURG — the Motor Industry Staff Association said South Africa cannot afford a United States boycott as thousands of jobs would be lost and sectors would be affected.

What's happening between SA and the US?

Trump recently signed an Executive Order granting Afrikaners refugee status, accusing the government of seizing lands and oppressing Afrikaners. The order also slammed the Expropriation Act and accused the government of acting against its foreign policy. The African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) is under threat, and a US boycott could mean that South Africa would be excluded from AGOA.

Read also

Donald Trump 'not yet committed' to gracing G20 Summit amid laboured US-SA relations

The impact of a US boycott

In a statement, MISA's Chief Executive Officer of Operations Martle Keyter said the country's economy cannot afford to be excluded from US trade law which gives it duty-free access to the United States. She said South Africa exports goods like motor vehicles and minerals to the value of at least R200 billion. AGOA allows South Africa to export over 1800 products.

Keyter also noted that it would be detrimental to workers and future job creation in the country if AGOA excluded the country. She called on the government to address the misunderstanding that caused the rift.

Speaking to Briefly News, Keyter said that the US has one of the largest economies in the world, and it serves as a major market for vehicles produced in the country.

"Two out of every three vehicles manufactured in South Africa are exported. A US boycott could result in job losses in one of the most vital industries in our country. MISA called on President Cyril Ramapohosa to take swift action to restore the diplomatic relationship between the countries. Our concern is the possible impact of this strained relationship on existing jobs in the motor industry and on future job creation," she said.

Read also

US refuge-seeking white Saffas 'crash' email servers' amid resettlement inquiries

What you need to know about Trump's Executive Order

• AfriForum said that Afrikaners do not want to relocate to the United States after Trump signed an Executive order granting them refugee status
• The Economic Freedom Fighters called on the government to revoke the citizenship of South Africans who take Trump's offer to resettle in the United States
• Limpopo farmer and the president of the Southern African Agro Initiative called on Trump to recognise the sufferings of black family farmers

Chamber of Commerce's email servers crash

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the South African Chamber of Commerce in the United States said it received over 20,000 enquiries from Afrikaners willing to resettle in the United States. As a result, its email servers allegedly crashed.

The chamber's head Neil Diamond said the server crashed at the first weekend due to the sheer scale of the inquiries. He said he expects that more people would inquire about the option to relocste.

Source: Briefly News