Up to 250,000 South African jobs could be at risk if the country is removed from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), says union Solidarity, which blames International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola for worsening the diplomatic dispute with the United States.

Solidarity says South Africa’s continued participation in the preferential US trade programme is increasingly under threat, with the White House reviewing participating countries and an announcement expected by 1 November 2026.

The organisation warned that an AGOA exit could have serious consequences for workers and industries that rely on access to the US market.

Solidarity estimates that up to 250,000 jobs are partially or fully dependent on AGOA, while more than 500,000 South African jobs depend on trade with the US.

The organisation has placed particular blame on Lamola, accusing the minister of aggravating tensions with Washington during his recent visit to the United States.

Solidarity chief executive Dr Dirk Hermann said Lamola had failed to use his visit to seek solutions to the diplomatic dispute and instead created the impression that South Africa was aligning itself with opponents of the Trump administration.

“Minister Lamola has probably driven the final nail into the coffin of South Africa’s AGOA participation,” Hermann said.

Solidarity also criticised DIRCO’s decision to summon the US ambassador for a diplomatic reprimand, saying the move could further complicate South Africa’s relationship with Washington.

Hermann warned that the consequences of an AGOA exit would extend beyond trade figures and could affect hundreds of thousands of workers and their dependants.

“The South African government has four weeks left to prevent the country from being kicked out of AGOA,” he said.

Despite its criticism, Solidarity said the situation could still be resolved through renewed negotiations between Pretoria and Washington.

The union says AGOA gives eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US market for certain products, subject to specific eligibility requirements.

Solidarity has called on the South African government to urgently resume talks with the US administration before the 1 November deadline to protect the country’s access to the programme and the jobs linked to it.