High-level talks between South Africa and neighbouring states are required to address trade frictions, according to agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo.
In an online post, Sihlobo criticised recent restrictions on South African agricultural exports imposed by Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique. The restrictions blocked South African fruit, vegetables and some poultry products.
Sihlobo noted that Namibia and Botswana were South Africa’s partners in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), which was premised on the free movement of goods, In addition, all countries, including Mozambique, had committed to removing all trade barriers by 2030 as part of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
”Undoubtedly, trade restrictions undermine the spirit of trade integration. It also makes a mockery of commitments to liberalise trade on the African continent. Yet South Africa has been extremely restrained despite clear injury to its economic interests.”
Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique had recently placed unjustified restrictions on imports of South African vegetables.
“There is no basis for import restrictions in the common customs area to advantage domestic sectors,” Sihlobo said.
Stressing the importance of top-level discussions, Sihlobo said 17% of South Africa’s US$15.1 billion in agricultural exports in 2025 went to the SACU region. This was almost comparable to South Africa’s 21% share of agricultural exports to the EU region.
While it was understandable that countries should wish to increase domestic production, the objective should be to boost production capabilities across SACU countries and build regional value chains.
“In essence, the immediate priority must be the speedy resolution of the current trade-restrictive measures through structured and high-level dialogue. The introduction of import restrictions on agricultural products within a customs union is inconsistent with both the legal architecture and the spirit of regional integration.”
Sihlobo said recent trade restrictions imposed on South Africa threatened the customs union, which had already fettered South Africa’s ambition to negotiate bilateral trade deals globally to boost its export sectors and create jobs.
“We need to take a serious look at SACU’s utility for shared economic interests in the region, as well as, crucially, for our economic interests in a changing global environment,” he said.
