Instruments such as tariff hikes will be used to protect jobs in sectors threatened by imports, economic development minister, Ebrahim Patel, was cited in various news reports as saying.
Speaking at the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) congress in Midrand earlier this week, Patel was quoted by online business news site, Fin24, as saying that government would "aggressively" use tariffs to save jobs.
He said government had imposed tariff increases for, among others, mussels, pasta, chicken, offal, wheat, windscreens and car batteries.