Brazil and South Africa Talk Trade as US Tariffs Push Them Together

SOUTH AFRICA · GEOPOLITICS

Key Facts

—A US$2bn relationship: Bilateral trade between the two countries reached about US$2bn in 2025. Brazil is now South Africa’s largest trading partner in Latin America and its second-largest in the Americas, according to Business Day.

—Tariffs did the pushing: South Africa faced a 30% United States tariff on many exports from August 2025, the highest rate on the continent, before a partial reversal this year. Brazil was hit with 25% on most imports from July 2026.

—What they agreed to work on: The eighth South Africa-Brazil Joint Commission named trade, critical minerals, manufacturing and technology as the ground for deeper co-operation. It met in Pretoria, co-chaired by ministers Ronald Lamola and Mauro Vieira.