South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has opposed what he calls the "unilateral" higher trade tariffs imposed on his country by the US. US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would subject imports from South Africa to a new 30% tariff from 1 August.

The country’s new president, in office for a little over a month, had just dispatched his senior deputies to Washington to try to work out a trade deal.

President Trump on Monday posted a barrage of letters he sent to country leaders, saying he would impose an array of tariffs similar to levels he announced in April. The most significant were letters to the leaders of Japan and South Korea that informed them of 25% tariffs on imports from their respective countries.