According to local reporting, South Africa's footwear and leather industry has urged the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) to safeguard local manufacturing as the country finalises its tariff offer under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) ahead of upcoming Southern African Customs Union (SACU) negotiations.
Dimakatso Moji (DTIC), Zamani Oliphant (SAFLIA), and Nerisha Jairaj (SAFLEC), along with manufacturers and other stakeholders, met with the dtic to discuss proposed changes to South Africa’s AfCFTA tariff offer, including the possible movement of selected tariff lines from the exclusion category to the sensitive category.
Industry highlighted concerns that foreign manufacturers could establish production in lower-cost African countries and use AfCFTA preferences to export duty free across the continent, increasing competitive pressure on South African producers. Stakeholders also called for greater transparency on tariff concessions offered by other African countries to better assess reciprocal export opportunities.
Non-tariff barriers, including Kenya’s footwear testing requirements, were identified as a key obstacle to trade, while industry also stressed the need for stronger enforcement of rules of origin to prevent products manufactured outside Africa from being transhipped through African countries to qualify for preferential treatment.
The dtic has requested evidence-based submissions from industry to help finalise South Africa’s negotiating position before SACU discussions. SAFLIA will coordinate industry feedback, while SAFLEC plans to host a webinar later this quarter on AfCFTA export opportunities, market access and support available through Afreximbank.
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