South African tyre association seeks anti-dumping protection
The association representing the interests of four tyre majors in South Africa would like to see anti-dumping duties imposed on cheap tyres entering the country. The South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference (SATMC), which acts as the ‘generic face’ of Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear and Sumitomo in their dealings with government, the motor industry and the public, intends to petition the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) for protection against these imports.
According to an article published yesterday by Johannesburg-based daily Business Day, SATMC managing executive Nobuzwe Mangcu said action against foreign imports is necessary not only to stop them undercutting local manufacturers, it is also a safety issue – some imported tyres, she asserted, are not designed for use in South African conditions: “We’ve seen cases where tyres have exploded while the car was in motion.”
Mangcu told Business Day that the SATMC is “putting the final touches to its plan to stem the practice” and confirmed that the association is “planning to apply (to the ITAC) again.” She believes the SATMC now has a better chance of success than when it last approached the ITAC a decade ago; the managing executive opined that South Africa’s good relationship with China worked against the manufacturers’ conference when it approached the ITAC in 2005. At the time, ITAC found insufficient evidence of systematic dumping being carried out by Chinese tyre makers.
Nobuzwe Mangcu was appointed SATMC managing executive in March 2015, filling the gap left by the departure of chief executive officer Dr. Etienne Human after 16 years at the association’s helm.
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