SA’s gas gamble with Trump — what is love, and why does it cost $1bn?

This month, the US slapped a 30% tariff on South African exports, a move some estimate could threaten up to 100,000 jobs. It’s the latest blow in an already fractious relationship and a sign that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s first attempt at a trade deal with Donald Trump’s administration has failed.

As South Africa’s negotiators scramble to table an even “more ambitious” deal in hopes of reversing the tariffs, Politically Aweh questions whether bowing to Trump’s demands – including a proposed $1-billion-a-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchase for a decade – is really in the country’s best interests. After all, didn’t Ramaphosa promise during his February State of the Nation address that “we will not be bullied”?

The episode rewinds to trace the relationship from its “strained situationship” under President Joe Biden to Trump’s personal fixation with South Africa and his recycling of far-right talking points about land reform. It examines the May 2025 White House meeting where Ramaphosa sought to reset ties, offering LNG purchases in exchange for duty-free quotas on steel, aluminium and car parts, and continued access to the US car market. Talks collapsed, and tariffs came into force on 7 August – but insiders say the deal is still on the table.

The big question: Will South Africa sell out its climate commitments to appease Trump and his fossil fuel industry allies?

For answers, KG speaks to political economist Professor Patrick Bond (University of Johannesburg) and puts the question directly to Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Dion George. A full podcast interview with the minister will be released by Politically Aweh next week. DM 

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