ANA reports that South Africa would continue talks with the United States in a bid to get concessions on import tariffs on aluminium and steel, Communications Minister Nomvula Mokonyane said on Thursday.  

Briefing journalists on the outcomes of Wednesday's fortnightly cabinet meeting, Mokonyane said government was disappointed at the US decision to not exempt SA from the 10% tariffs on imports of aluminium and 25% on steel imports.  "The South African government will continue to engage with the US authorities to find a mutually acceptable outcome.  Cabinet also encourages domestic exporters to continue to lobby US buyers to apply for product exemptions, as South African companies export niche products and semi-processed products for further processing in the US," Mokonyane said.  In March, US President Donald Trump announced the tariffs to protect producers in America.  SA applied for an exemption, but was turned down.  It has been estimated that at least 7,500 workers in the local steel and aluminium industries could lose their jobs as a result of the tariffs.

• This short report is at Engineering News

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