SA puts a 5% tariff on imported newsprint. Who pays and who doesn't

South Africa now charges a 5% customs duty on imported newsprint, the paper newspapers are printed on. Until now it came in duty-free. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana signed the change to the customs tariff in a notice dated 16 October 2026 (SARS).

The duty followed an application by Sappi for its Ngodwana Mill in Mpumalanga, which makes newsprint for local and export markets (ITAC).

Last updated: 21 October 2026, 17:34 SAST.

Which imports pay the 5% duty?

The new rate covers newsprint in rolls or sheets under tariff subheading 4801.00. The general rate is 5% ad valorem, meaning 5% of the customs value. Imports from most of South Africa's trade partners in Africa and Europe stay duty-free (SARS):

So the duty bites on newsprint shipped from countries outside these trade agreements, and from the MERCOSUR bloc.

Why did ITAC agree to it?

Sappi told the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) that falling global demand for newsprint, global overcapacity and a rise in low-priced imports were causing sustained losses. It said these threatened the viability of the paper machine at Ngodwana that makes newsprint, known as PM2, and that tariff protection was needed to save jobs and keep local capacity (ITAC).

ITAC found that the local industry's production, sales, capacity use and market share had declined, that it faced a significant price disadvantage against imports, and that its profitability had fallen consistently over the investigation period (ITAC). Its findings are in Report No. 784.

Is the duty permanent?

Not necessarily. ITAC wants the duty reviewed three years after it takes effect, or sooner if it decides. The review will look at whether the measure worked and how it affected the local industry, the users of newsprint and the wider value chain (ITAC).

Who feels it?

Printers and publishers that buy newsprint from outside the duty-free blocs will pay more for those imports. Whether that reaches the price of a newspaper is up to them. Business Day put the question plainly: can a 5% tariff save South Africa's print industry (Business Day)?