Nelson Mandela Bay businesses trading with the US have engaged its ambassador on trade issues, as the business chamber urged SA to strengthen a relationship worth R2.2bn in annual exports to the metro.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber said SA needed to pursue new markets without sacrificing established trading relationships that supported jobs and investment.
The US accounted for 3.1% of the Bay’s R70.7bn export basket in the 12 months to May 2026, making it the metro’s fourth-largest export destination, according to the chamber.
Products include vehicles, automotive components, other machinery and equipment, processed precious metals, ferro-alloys, citrus, mohair and manganese.
Chamber chief executive Denise van Huyssteen said the approach was agnostic, and they were open to engaging with countries which had established tourism, trade and investment linkages with the Bay.
"Additionally, we believe it is vital that SA moves with speed to strengthen and deepen existing trade relationships and, at the same time, to diversify and broaden its trade relationships.
"SA does not currently have the benefit of having a relatively fast-growing domestic market or population ‘demographic dividend’ and, as such, must aim to have mutually beneficial relationships in place with as many countries as possible; being an active partner in formations such as Brics and the G20, without sacrificing other relationships.
"The approach should thus be to build more international friendships and to balance and retain our existing trading partners in Europe, the Americas, Africa and other parts of the world, while simultaneously pushing for ambitious trade agreements within Brics and proactively exploring ways to generate long-term mutually beneficial trade opportunities."
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