President Jacob Zuma answers questions at Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, March 17, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

CAPE TOWN - South Africa looks forward to working closely with the new administration in the United States in promoting peace, security and prosperity around the world, especially on the African continent, President Jacob Zuma said on Wednesday.

Zuma made the remarks while congratulating US President-elect Donald Trump on winning the presidential elections, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said.

Zuma conveyed his best wishes to Trump and looked forward to working with the president-elect to build on the strong relations that exist between the two countries, DIRCO said.

"President Jacob Zuma has today, on behalf of the Government and the people of South Africa, congratulated President-elect Donald Trump on winning the presidential elections that were held in the United States on Nov. 8, 2016," DIRCO said in a statement.

During the election campaign, Trump described South Africa on Twitter as "a crime ridden mess that is just waiting to explode -- not a good situation for the people!"

Fears grew in the South African business circle that Trump's victory could inevitably impact on the future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), among others.

AGOA, a legislation approved by the US Congress in 2000, gives preferential treatment to 39 African countries by waiving import levies on more than 7,000 wide-ranging products.

Trump's victory ushers in a fresh set of uncertainties into a world already reeling from the Brexit vote, South African political analyst Daniel Silke told Fin24, a local news outlet.

In South Africa's case, AGOA, which was already difficult to renegotiate under the Obama presidency, could possibly be even more problematic with Trump in the White House as the United States would become more protectionist, Silke said.