EFF urges SA to reject AGOA extension, accuses US of geopolitical self-interest
The Economic Freedom Fighters, led by Julius Malema, has urged South African to reject the extension of AGOA.
Image: IOL
The EFF has called on the South African government to reject the recent extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), warning that the programme primarily serves US geopolitical and economic interests rather than advancing African development.
The US House of Representatives recently approved a three-year extension of AGOA, a trade arrangement offering preferential access to US markets for African goods.
While US officials frame the programme as a tool for economic development, the EFF insists it has historically constrained African industrialisation, promoted low-value exports, and failed to deliver meaningful economic transformation.
“AGOA has always been conditional, designed to bind African economies to US foreign policy objectives,” the party said in a statement.
“Renewing it serves Washington’s strategic interests, not those of African people.”
The EFF pointed to a pattern of US economic coercion, citing previous retaliatory measures against South Africa for engaging with countries such as Iran and Russia, and for political positions on Palestine.
The party warned that continued participation in AGOA risks subjugating South Africa’s trade and foreign policy to US political objectives.
According to the EFF, the programme has not meaningfully diversified African economies or encouraged sustainable value-added production.
“Our trade with the United States still pales in comparison to other global partners, and the benefits have been limited and uneven,” the party said.
Instead, the EFF advocates for trade strategies that strengthen sovereignty, regional integration, and industrial development, particularly through frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“South Africa should pursue trade agreements that prioritise intra-African cooperation rather than conditional arrangements that leverage our markets for external political gain,” the party said.
The call comes amid broader debates over Africa’s economic autonomy and the US’s role on the continent.
Analysts note that AGOA has long been criticised for tying access to US markets to political alignment, effectively allowing Washington to influence African policy under the guise of trade incentives.
Meanwhile, South Africa has welcomed the US House of Representatives’ approval of a three-year extension of AGOA.
Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Park Tau said the renewal “provides the necessary relief to companies in the context of the tariffs implemented by the United States” and ensures “certainty and predictability for African and American businesses that rely on the programme”.
But the EFF said, “Engaging with the imperialist US on equal grounds is impossible at this time and will be detrimental to our ability to be self-governing”.
The red berets urged Pretoria to reconsider the nation’s continued participation in the programme.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
IOL Politics