US’s ‘forced labour’ investigation is more bad Trump tariff medicine for ailing SA exports

Mar 24, 2026 · 1442 words · By Victoria O'Regan; Lindsey Schutters

Fact-Check Results

“Section 301 investigations under the 2019 update will have expedited hearings between April and May 2026”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence in archive about Section 301 hearing schedules

“Since August 2025, the United States has imposed a 30% tariff on many South African goods, the highest on the continent”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence in archive to confirm or refute the 30% tariff claim

“US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer announced a sweeping trade investigation targeting 60 countries”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence in archive to verify the trade investigation announcement

“The US is South Africa’s third-largest trading partner, after the EU and China”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence in archive to confirm trading partner rankings

“The trade investigation is conducted under section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence in archive about the specific legal basis for the investigation

“South Africa's Minister of Trade and Industry, Parks Tau, stated that South Africa received a letter from the US regarding the investigation”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence in archive about communications with South Africa's Minister

“The US Supreme Court ruled against Trump's IEEPA tariffs, leading to a 10% tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence in archive about Supreme Court rulings or Section 122 tariffs

“South Africa's Constitution and Basic Conditions of Employment Act prohibit forced labor within the country”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence in archive about South Africa's labor laws

“The WTO's GATT Article XX allows countries to quarantine goods based on public morals or prison labor exceptions”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence in archive about GATT Article XX interpretations

“The US used Section 301 to address trade issues with Japan, Brazil, India, and South Africa's poultry market in the 1980s and 1990s”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence in archive about historical Section 301 applications

“The Structural Excess Capacity Probe targets 16 economies, including China, the EU, India, Mexico, and Japan”

❓ PENDING

“The Forced Labour Governance Probe targets 60 economies, including South Africa, Canada, the EU, and the UK”

❓ PENDING

“The 2019 update to Section 301 allowed the US to impose tariffs of 7.5% to 25% on China's imports”

❓ PENDING