PODCAST | What does SA’s international trade future look like given tension with US?

SA’s future in international trade, as the US accuses the government of assisting Russia in its war against Ukraine, is the focus in this edition of Business Day Spotlight. 

Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Louw Nel, senior political analyst at Oxford Economics. 

Last week, a bombshell was dropped by US ambassador to SA Reuben Brigety when he accused the SA government of supplying arms to Russia, worsening tension between the US and SA.

Nel says this matter should be taken seriously as local leaders have made a number of gaffes in recent months. This latest episode works to put the country further on the back foot.

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Accusations that the country has supplied arms to Russia have rattled markets and the economic fallout, should these claims be substantiated — or even not adequately disproven — will be considerable. The country’s reputation is on the line. 

Looking ahead, Nel says eyes will be on government and how it handles the upcoming Brics summit in August, which is already a bone of contention given the potential appearance of Russia’s President Putin. There is also a summit to be around the US’s African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) trade policy, for which SA’s current inclusion hangs in the balance. 

Topics of discussion include trade relations between SA and the US; the US’s mission to get more countries to turn against Russia; SA’s place as the most developed economy in Africa; and the growing influence of the Brics trading bloc. 

Business Day Spotlight is a TimesLIVE Production.