By Eamonn Ryan
At the 2025 GCCA Africa Cold Chain Conference, a discussion unfolded around US–South Africa trade relations. This is the first instalment of a three-part series,
In a session that veered from the technical cold chain conversations into the geopolitical, Michelle Constant, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa, offered insight into the challenges, strategies and shifting power dynamics affecting not only cold chain logistics but the broader HVAC&R and agri-logistics sectors that depend on stable international trade flows.
The American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa, as she clarified, is not an arm of the US government or the American embassy. Rather, it is a South African organisation representing approximately 200 member companies, including major American corporations, South African banks, law firms and stakeholders with US trade interests. But the headline was stark: the number of American companies operating in South Africa has dropped from over 600 to 500 in just five years – a red flag for the local economy and international business confidence.
Constant said: “This decline, reflects both domestic concerns and global uncertainty. With political volatility, economic unpredictability and shifting diplomatic alliances, companies are pulling back, reassessing risk, and in some cases exiting.”
‘Trade, not aid’ heralds new era of US foreign policy
The dominant theme of Constant’s presentation was the transactional nature of modern geopolitics. The long-standing idealism that often accompanied US trade and aid policy has been replaced with a much colder logic: ‘Trade, not aid’. This, she explained, signals a demand for measurable returns on engagement, especially from the US.
South Africa, meanwhile, faces an internal identity crisis. With fragmented communication across government departments – particularly between DIRCO (Department of International Relations and Cooperation) and GCIS (Government Communication and Information System) – foreign policy is inconsistent at best.