ANC urges govt to stand firm on SA's transformation policies as US tariffs loom
This comes on the back of the United States slapping South Africa with a 30% tariff on all its exported goods, starting from Thursday.
FILE: ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula during a media briefing at Luthuli House in Johannesburg on 13 March 2025. Picture: Spamandla Dlamini/EWN
JOHANNESBURG -The African National Congress (ANC) said government should not give in to pressure from foreign countries to reverse some of its transformation policies, like Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE).
This comes on the back of the United States slapping South Africa with a 30% tariff on all its exported goods, starting from Thursday.
US President Donald Trump has previously criticised the Expropriation Act recently signed into law, which he falsely claims has led to government seizing land from white farmers.
At a media briefing on Wednesday, ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to the country's transformation laws.
“The NEC is particularly resolute that South Africa will not be coerced into reversing its progressive transformation agenda or compromising its sovereignty under the guise of opportunistic foreign pressures.”
Mbalula also criticised the Democratic Alliance (DA)'s response to the US tariffs debacle.
“The DA’s reaction to the minister’s (Parks Tau, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition) announcements exposes a mindset which is out of touch with the aspirations of the South African people. Their reckless calls for deregulation and abandonment of BBBEE are a direct affront to the principles of the Freedom Charter.”