African trade partners are asking for more from South Africa: Tau

Trade, Industry, and Competition Minister Parks Tau says some countries on the continent are demanding more from South Africa in exchange for market access.

​Speaking to SABC News at the 8th annual Kgalema Motlanthe Drakensberg Forum in KwaZulu-Natal, Tau said some of the trade friction is impacting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

South Africa is currently locked in trade disputes with key continental partners, including Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Mozambique.

According to Minister Tau, while regional trade integration has shown progress, unresolved disagreements remain a major concern. ​

Tau says that Pretoria is taking a constructive approach to resolve the impasses—adopting a solution-driven strategy designed to protect national interests while maintaining fair, mutually beneficial relationships across the continent.

“We’d want to see South Africa as an investor in our countries and not just as an exporter into those countries. So it’s a legitimate issue. It’s about whether we can improve logistics. Can we partner in relation to financing mechanisms? Can we share technology? So it’s pretty much the same demands we make on the rest of the world, where our counterparts on the continent are saying, ” Can South Africa assume a much more direct role to ensure that we benefit mutually and that industrialisation also happens in our countries?”

DAY 2: Hon. Minister Mr Parks Tau, Department of Trade, Industry & Competition – “Managing the Complexities of South-South & North-South Relations for Mutually Beneficial Partnerships in Trade & Investments”

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— Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation (@KMotlantheFDN) October 31, 2026