US to suspend South Africa and Rwanda from duty-free trade access
The United States is suspending South Africa and Rwanda from duty-free access to its market. For South Africa, this affects about $1.7bn in annual exports.
The United States has announced it will suspend South Africa and Rwanda from a duty-free trade arrangement that had allowed goods from the two African countries to enter the US market without customs duties, Al Jazeera reported on 2 November 2026.
South Africa will lose its duty-free access, which affects roughly $1.7bn worth of its annual exports. Cars and farm products are among the goods named as affected.
The information available does not set out the reasons for the decision, when it takes effect, or how much of Rwanda's exports the change will touch. It also does not say whether the South African or Rwandan governments have responded.
