On 23 April 2018, South Africa notified the WTO's Committee on Safeguards that it initiated on 20 April 2018 a safeguard investigation on "other screws fully threaded with hexagon heads made of steel".
In the notification South Africa indicated, among other things, as follows:
"Interested parties must make themselves known within a period of 20 days after the initiation of the investigation.
Any information which the interested parties may wish to submit in writing and any request for a hearing before the Commission that they may wish to put forward should be submitted within 20 days following the initiation of this investigation to the Directorate: Trade Remedies I at the following address: The DTI Campus, 77 Meintjies Street, Sunnyside Pretoria, Block Uuzaji, Ground Floor, Tel: +27 12 394 3600, fax +27 12 394 0518."
What is a safeguard investigation?
A safeguard investigation seeks to determine whether increased imports of a product are causing, or is threatening to cause, serious injury to a domestic industry.
During a safeguard investigation, importers, exporters and other interested parties may present evidence and views and respond to the presentations of other parties.
A WTO member may take a safeguard action (i.e. restrict imports of a product temporarily) only if the increased imports of the product are found to be causing, or threatening to cause, serious injury.