The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition Minister, Parks Tau.
Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, has revealed that South Africa’s membership of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) prevents it from terminating all coal exports to Israel.
Tau, in reply to the EFF’s Carl Niehaus, said that South Africa exported 1.8-million tons of coal to Israel in 2025, equating to 2.6% of South Africa’s global coal exports of 71.5-million tons.
He explained that there are continuous discussions on these matters to ensure alignment in government, “However, currently, there is no position to review SA exports to Israel”.
He had also mentioned it would violate the WTO principle of non-discrimination and would open the country to a legal challenge.
