Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau says he has an appointment next week with his US counterparts to discuss trade relations.
This despite US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s announcement about new visa restrictions, targeting people accused of racial discrimination or incitement against minority groups.
US-SA RELATIONS | The United States has announced new visa restrictions targeting foreign nationals linked to certain South African laws and policies, a move expected to further strain relations between Washington and Pretoria. pic.twitter.com/eCuzI0SXbR
— SABC News (@SABCNews) September 16, 2026
No individuals have yet been publicly named, but the diplomatic dispute between the two countries is widening.
Speaking at the 13th Africa Aerospace and Defence Trade Exhibition and Air Show at the Waterkloof Airforce Base in Pretoria on Thursday, Tau said government remains committed to engaging with the US.
“For us, it’s until there’s a development that says these are the decisions that we’ve made that we continue to engage with the US as an important trading partner. We’re meeting our commitments in terms of the discussions that we have with them,” says Tau.
He says they are meeting with the US next week to talk about trade.
“We’ve been engaged in discussions with them in our department this week. So I should also say that it came as a surprise because we’re really talking to them. We’re really engaging. So when we saw this announcement, we wondered where it was coming from,” he adds.
-Reporting by Siphiwe Mkhize
VIDEO | Parks Tau shocked by latest US visa restrictions
