South Africa has dispatched officials to the United States to prepare for trade talks after months of unsuccessful attempts to negotiate a reduction in steep tariffs, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday (Sept 9). Last month, US President Donald Trump imposed a 30 percent tariff on imports from South Africa, the continent’s most industrialized economy, following repeated failed efforts by the South African government to reach a trade agreement.

“The Presidency and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition have sent representatives who are preparing for formal negotiations with the US government, which are expected to take place in a few days,” Ramaphosa told parliament. The South African delegation will meet with officials from Trump’s administration, lawmakers, and business leaders in New York and Washington. The Office of the US Trade Representative did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of the talks.

Before the tariffs were implemented, South African officials said Washington had not engaged with their proposals. A revised trade deal proposal was submitted a month ago, but discussions remained stalled. Ramaphosa said South Africa’s strategic advantage lies in its natural resources, particularly critical minerals, which are central to ongoing discussions with the US. “Even though we may want to export the critical minerals, we want them to leave South Africa as finished products… That is the kind of discussion we are having with them,” he said.

Relations between South Africa and the United States have reached a diplomatic low this year, partly due to Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of persecution against the white minority, which led to the creation of a refugee program for white South Africans. Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen indicated that to secure lower tariffs, South Africa may need to address some of Trump’s criticisms, including his opposition to affirmative action policies aimed at addressing apartheid-era inequalities.