A visit to Washington by a high-profile delegation of ministers, business leaders and unionists lowered tensions around the renewal of South Africa’s preferential trade deal with the US, Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel has said. Patel was briefing Parliament on the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The panel, which included Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, visited the US Capitol in July to meet with lawmakers amid fears South Africa could lose access to AGOA in 2024. The trade deal allows 25% of South African exports to enter the US tariff-free, including around $1.5-billion (R28-billion) in vehicle exports. In June, a group of US legislators wrote to the White House questioning whether it was appropriate for South Africa to host this year’s AGOA forum as it was "in danger of losing AGOA benefits". The lawmakers said that while South Africa claimed to be neutral in the war in Ukraine, the country had held joint naval exercises with Russia, possibly covertly supplied arms to Russia on the Lady R, and was planning to host Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Brics summit.