The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which grants eligible sub-Saharan African countries preferential access to the US market, has been renewed until the end of 2028.
South Africa is the scheme's largest beneficiary but its eligibility has come under scrutiny as Washington steps up criticism of Pretoria, including false allegations of discrimination against white Afrikaners that South Africa rejects.
South Africa is going to look for alternative markets to minimise the impacts of such an exclusion, Ramaphosa said.
"I need as president to prepare us if it ever happens. So we should not go out and jump off tall buildings and think that this is the end of the world," he said, conceding that the impacts would nonetheless be "devastating".
Within AGOA, Washington exempts South African cars from customs duties.
After precious metals, cars are the country's second- biggest export earner to the United States, according to the South African tax authorities.
In 2025, the automobile employers' organisation Naamsa said 86,000 jobs were directly tied to the accord at car manufacturers, a number that increases to 125,000 when including their sub-contractors.
