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South Africa

South Africa pushes for new African FTA
23-Feb-2011 Bua News
South Africa is pushing ahead to secure a free trade agreement between the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market for East African States (Comesa).
About-turn from SA on sugar access to Europe
13-Dec-2010
The government has thrown its weight behind the South African sugar industry’s demand for preferential access to European markets. If granted, this would put SA on an equal sugar-trade footing with other sugar producing developing economies — the African-Pacific-Caribbean countries and the world’s least developed countries — for the first time since the industry lost its access under apartheid.
SA to sign trade pact with EU in about-turn
8-Oct-2010 Business Day
South Africa is likely to conclude an economic partnership agreement by the end of this year with the European Union as a member of the Southern African Customs Union, International Relations and Co-operation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said yesterday.
South Africa flexing its muscles with poor neighbours
22-Sep-2010 IPS
The beleaguered Southern African Customs Union (SACU) has to face up to serious challenges at its upcoming heads of state meeting in October.
Black business battling to tap agreements
17-Sep-2010 The Times
South Africa’s black business people are battling to benefit from the numerous bilateral agreements the country has entered into, National Empowerment Fund CEO Philisiwe Buthulezi said on Thursday
Zuma aims to deepen ties with India
30-Aug-2010
President Jacob Zuma said on Monday in opening the India Show that SA would be deepening strategic partnerships with India, especially in the areas of science and technology, agriculture, human resource development and security.
India to explore free trade pact with South Africa
30-Aug-2010
India today said it will explore opportunities for a comprehensive market opening trade pact with South Africa as the two nations are likely to touch the $10 billion bilateral commerce this year.
Zuma’s visit to feature SA-China trade deals
23-Aug-2010
South African President Jacob Zuma will lead a State visit to China this week in a bid to strengthen political, economic and trade relations with the world’s second-largest economy and South Africa’s largest trading partner.
India, SA trade agreement on track
18-Aug-2010
India’s government hopes to “wrap up very quickly” negotiations around a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Africa.
South Africa: Court rules against Italian investors
11-Aug-2010 Business Day
An international arbitration tribunal in The Hague has dismissed an objection by Italian investors claiming that SA’s black economic empowerment requirements represented expropriation and violated the country’s bilateral investment treaties with Italy and the Belgo-Luxembourg Economic Union.
South Africa: Free-trade agreement with China not on cards
7-Jul-2010 Business Day
SA will not pursue a conventional free-trade agreement with China as this is not in the interests of the country, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies says.
Call for MPs to have say in foreign trade deals
6-May-2010 BusinessDay
Parliament’s trade and industry committee wants South African MPs to play a greater role in negotiating international agreements and has urged that the legislative framework and rules for dealing with them be reviewed.
Zuma urges Sacu to tackle EPA negotiations as united front
23-Apr-2010
Speaking at the 100th anniversary of the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) celebration held in Namibia on Thursday, President Jacob Zuma said that the future of the customs union was "undoubtedly in question", if it could not "pursue the unfinished business of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations as a united group".
Congo trade agreement creates opportunities for SA
12-Apr-2010 Daily Dispatch
President Jacob Zuma and the Republic of Congo’s President Denis Sassou-Nguesso signed a bilateral trade agreement in Pretoria on Thursday. In a statement released after their meeting, Zuma welcomed the long-term land lease agreement of over 200000 hectares of idle farmland to a consortium of South African farmers.
SA to focus on trade as global crisis recedes
19-Jan-2010
SA is likely to focus on stimulating targeted sectors of the economy and firming up trade relations with key partners in Africa, Europe and the east this year, as growing global trade flows are expected to reflect a world emerging from recession.
South Africa: Fisheries pact with EU has to wait
22-Dec-2009 Business Day
The conclusion of a fisheries agreement between SA and the European Union has had to take second place to other considerations, even though SA’s fish exports to the EU are attracting duties that some other countries’ are not.
Farmers protected from Zimbabwe deal
27-Nov-2009 Times Live
South African farmers in Zimbabwe will not forfeit their land or investments as a result of a bilateral agreement still to be signed, a Pretoria judge ordered.
SA farmers threaten legal action over new investment pact with Zim
26-Nov-2009 SW Radio Africa
The imminent signing of a new bilateral investment protection treaty (BIPPA) between Zimbabwe and South Africa could be halted, if an application in the Pretoria High Court on behalf of more than 200 farmers proves successful on Thursday.
Zimbabwe: South Africa farming union insists land grab victims be protected
23-Nov-2009 SW Radio Africa
South Africa’s main agriculture and farming union has expressed concern about the bilateral investment treaty agreed with Zimbabwe, which is set to exclude South African owned farms that were expropriated by the Robert Mugabe regime during the chaotic land ’reform’ programme.
Free trade versus tariffs
26-Oct-2009
The debate over the future trajectory of South Africa’s economic policy is about much more than the powers of Trevor Manuel and the planning ministry.