PRESS RELEASE

15 April 2025

STEEL INDUSTRY

IMPORT DUTIES

NEASA WARNS ITAC AGAINST SWEEPING REVIEW

On Friday, 11 April 2025, NEASA informed the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) that if it proceeds with the large-scale tariff review or take any steps towards the implementation of the proposed import surveillance mechanisms, as published in the Government Gazette on 19 March 2025, it will be met with urgent legal action.

The gazetted review is the largest tariff-, duty- and import measures review in ITAC’s 22-year history, exclusively focused on steel. It affects 609 tariff codes, over four chapters, covering everything from primary steel and stainless steel, articles of steel, i.e., pipes and wire, tools and cutlery, and miscellaneous steel articles, i.e., padlocks.

In its letter to ITAC, NEASA pointed out that due to the broad scope of the review and vagueness of the proposed import surveillance mechanisms, no meaningful representations can be made by any affected stakeholder, and consequently, NEASA requested ITAC to either provide more information and detail on the proposals or withdraw the review entirely.  

NEASA highlighted that no informed, substantive or tangible technical representations could be made without more information regarding the precise interventions planned, as no percentages, quota numbers, permit requirements, surveillance rules and regulations, standards specifications or rebate details are provided in the review.

NEASA further questioned ITAC regarding the impracticality of the performance of the review, as statistically, ITAC takes on average 27 months per singular review, which usually only covers a small handful of tariff codes each. Some of those reviews have been ongoing for over 50 months. NEASA questioned ITAC on how it plans on performing this earth-shattering number of reviews, as the scope of this proposed review is enormous and unlimited, and the Minister of Trade Industry and Competition has set the impossible turnaround timeframe for the review as June 2025.

NEASA requested ITAC to withdraw the review and accompanying request for commentary, and to only proceed with requesting industry input when it has published detailed proposals on which the submission of representations is actually possible.

NEASA is of the view that this review boils down to a concerted effort by ITAC to search every nook and cranny of the steel industry framework to find possible ways of suffocating it through regulatory red tape and additional charges. 

ISSUED BY

Gerhard Papenfus

Chief Executive (NEASA)

MEDIA CONTACT

Chanté Dean

Media Liaison (NEASA)

072 618 5912

media@neasa.co.za