EFF STATEMENT ON THE ONGOING AGOA DISCUSSIONS AND TRADE THREATS FROM AMERICA:
04 January 2016
The EFF notes that the Department of Trade and Industry is busy trying to find ways to succumb to the US Trade bullying strategy which will see South Africa importing cheap and potentially sickening beef, pork, and poultry products from the United States.
As we said before, the South African government should not be bullied into unethical and unfair trade relations and should actively seek alternate markets for the products which Americans threaten to increase tariffs for from South Africa. Accession to the US trade bullying tactics will further undermine South Africa's food sovereignty and there is no country worth respecting that cannot produce its own food and feed its own people.
South Africa should not agree to continue to be a dumping site of cheap and low quality Products from the developed nations because such condemns South Africa to a state of permanent underdevelopment, where it can't even feed itself.
Trade without principles should never define how our country relate with the developed world because we will remain in the state of underdevelopment forever. It is a trade bullying tactic to force South Africa to accept cheap foods, which can potentially cause cancer on the premise of continued allowance of SA into the AGOA agreements.
The EFF again calls on South African retailers (particularly Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Spar, and Walmart stores in SA) to also commit to buying more than 70% of their goods and services from South African producers in order to undermine the imperialist impositions cheap and sickening goods. The demands we made to all companies in the JSE and all consonants during the Economic Freedom March still stand, and we will take collective and targeted action against all companies that refuse to source 70% of their goods domestically.
The South African government should also look for alternate markets for South African products, in particular through promotion of intra-African trade and trade which does not come with bullying tactics of the Americans.
Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, 4 January 2015
