Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane raised the issue of US trade tariffs and recent cuts to American global health funding during a meeting with United States consul general Allison Areias in East London on Tuesday.
The discussions formed part of Areias’s second visit to the province and focused on repairing long-standing areas of co-operation between the Eastern Cape and the US.
Mabuyane said the province had suffered immensely from US tariffs on South African automotive and agricultural exports, two sectors central to the provincial economy.
He said that livelihoods had been affected and operations disrupted across both industries.
The premier also flagged the fallout from the withdrawal and partial reinstatement of Washington’s global health funding earlier this year, which had placed “significant strain” on HIV and TB programmes in high-burden districts.
The suspension of Pepfar-linked services led to the loss of hundreds of critical health sector jobs and the curtailing of essential services.
Despite the setbacks, Mabuyane and Areias reaffirmed the importance of the US–Eastern Cape relationship, citing decades of co-operation in health, agriculture, research, technical support and municipal partnerships, as well as investments in automotive manufacturing, trade and wildlife tourism.
We remain optimistic that this period of uncertainty will pass and that our partnership rooted in mutual respect, shared interests and decades of collaboration will continue to thrive
— Premier Oscar Mabuyane
Both sides emphasised the need to maintain open channels of communication to resolve obstacles to economic collaboration and to safeguard development partnerships.
Mabuyane expressed hope that national-level negotiations with the US, led by international relations minister Ronald Lamola and trade minister Parks Tau, would result in positive outcomes and open new pathways for strengthening bilateral ties.
Describing the meeting as constructive, the premier said he remained optimistic that co-operation between South Africa and the US would regain momentum.
“We remain optimistic that this period of uncertainty will pass and that our partnership rooted in mutual respect, shared interests and decades of collaboration will continue to thrive,” he said.
Daily Dispatch
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