South African Vice President Paul Mashatile stated on April 7th that South Africa is considering shifting its trade focus from the United States to India, China, and other countries. This decision is mainly in response to the high tariff of 30% imposed by US President Donald Trump. Mashatile emphasized that the current geopolitical situation requires South Africa to expand its cooperation with other countries.

At the first breakfast hosted by the Ahmed Cartrada Foundation, he stated, "Although we are an important trading partner of the United States, there is no reason to prevent us from strengthening our trade relations with countries such as India and China." The foundation is named after an Indian American anti apartheid activist who was a close partner of Nelson Mandela.

Mashatile also mentioned that South Africa's presidency of the G20 this year provides an opportunity to promote growth on the African continent. He believes that unity is crucial to achieving this goal and emphasizes the use of the G20 platform to ensure that after the end of the term, it can be reviewed and confirmed that it has brought practical benefits not only to South Africa, but also to the entire African continent.

Through the G20 platform, South Africa hopes to strengthen cooperation with other member countries and jointly focus on economic development. This not only involves South Africa itself, but also concerns the prosperity of the entire African continent. In addition, the importance of fully implementing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement was emphasized, pointing out that Africa, as a vast market, countries should seek ways to improve trade and interpersonal relationships in order to achieve the goal of national self-reliance. During recent visits, the European Union expressed interest in enhancing cooperation with South Africa. Despite the current tension in US South relations, South Africa will not take retaliatory measures in response to the US decision to impose a 30% tariff on it. This tariff policy has been analyzed as part of the Trump administration's pressure on countries that criticize its foreign policy.

When discussing whether South Africa should establish an efficiency department similar to the Musk administration during President Trump's tenure, Mashatile mentioned existing related measures. He pointed out that funding situations have been discovered in certain government sectors, and there is a phenomenon of departments not fully utilizing their time but having funds in some areas. The Vulindlela action is aimed at achieving goals similar to Musk's in the United States. He also stated that he is researching economic reforms, reducing red tape, and working on deficit areas.