A “unilateral imposition of a 30% trade tariff against South Africa.”

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has pushed back against the latest wave of trade tariffs from the Trump administration – a wave that also targets Pretoria, the only sub-Saharan country on the list.

The move from the White House comes as the American government announced Monday that it would be delaying the start of some of its most aggressive import tariffs, which it imposed among others in April on nations around the world.

14 countries, among which Japan, South Korea and South Africa, however received letters on the same day detailing new, higher tariffs.

According to a statement published by the South African presidential office on Tuesday, “South Africa maintains that the 30% reciprocal tariff is not an accurate representation of available trade data. In our interpretation of the available trade data, the average tariff imported goods entering South Africa stands at 7.6%. Importantly, 56% of goods enter South Africa at 0% most favoured nation tariff, with 77% of US goods entering the South African market under the 0% duty.”

“South Africa will continue with its diplomatic efforts towards a more balanced and mutually beneficial trade relationship with the United States,” the statement from Pretoria furthermore noted.

At the same time, the presidential office urged South African companies “to accelerate their diversification efforts in order to promote better resilience in both global supply chains and the South African economy.”

Overall ties between Washington and Pretoria have experienced severe strains since Trump returned to office, with a meeting between Ramaphosa and his American counterpart in May doing little to improve the situation.

In the wake of countrywide protests which turned violent in Kenya on Monday, traders were counting their losses following extensive damage to their businesses and buildings.

Police in Kenya clashed with demonstrators Monday during the latest anti-government protests, killing 10 people, according to the state-funded human rights commission.

Authorities blocked major roads leading into the capital, Nairobi, and most businesses closed amid the strictest measures yet to contain the unrest. Kenyan youth and others for weeks have been protesting police brutality and poor governance while demanding President William Ruto’s resignation over alleged corruption and the high cost of living.

July 7, known as Saba Saba, is a significant date in Kenya’s history, marking the first major protests 35 years ago that called for a transition from a one-party state to a multiparty democracy, which was realized in the 1992 elections.

Saba Saba is Swahili for Seven Seven.

Kenya’s latest wave of violent demonstrations was sparked by calls for police accountability following the death of a blogger in police custody last month.

Nobody has heard of Oumar Sylla, known as Foniké Menguè, and Mamadou Billo Bah, for an entire year. Nobody knows their whereabouts.

The two Guinean activists, members of the now-dissolved National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), were arrested on 9 July 2024 at the latter’s home in Conakry by armed men, before allegedly being taken by special forces to the Loos archipelago.

There, they have reportedly endured torture and interrogations.

Amnesty International has now called for “a prompt and transparent” investigation into the two activists’ disappearance.

The two activists’ fate is emblematic of the recent acceleration of forced disappearances and abductions, with Amnesty International denouncing a “climate of terror” by the junta in power in Guinea.

On 19 February 2025, the national coordinator of the Forum of Social Forces of Guinea (Forum des forces sociales de Guinée), Abdoul Sacko, was abducted and found the same day, according to his lawyers “in a critical state, tortured and abandoned by his abductors in the bush”.

Another case is lawyer Mohamed Traoré. The former President of the Guinean Bar Association has testified that he was “subjected to abuse” after being abducted from his home on the night of 20 to 21 June 2025 by armed men.

“It’s very, very difficult—very hard—for the families and loved ones of these individuals. We have had no communication from the Guinean state, let alone from the prosecutor who, during his only and single appearance, announced investigations into these disappearances. Since then, we’ve heard nothing,” said Souleymane Sow, director of the Guinean branch of Amnesty International.

But as the radio silence from the authorities continues, the hope of finding the whereabouts of the activists soon is shrinking.