FX.co ★ South Africa Trade Surplus Shrinks Slightly

South Africa reported a trade surplus of ZAR 20.3 billion in July 2025, a slight decrease from the revised ZAR 21 billion recorded the previous month. Imports surged by 10.2% month-on-month to reach ZAR 164 billion, primarily fueled by robust purchases of mineral products (up 34%), chemicals (up 23%), textiles (up 24%), and machinery and electronics (up 8%). Concurrently, exports grew by 8.5%, totaling ZAR 184 billion. Significant increases were observed in the shipments of base metals (up 21%), vegetable products (up 16%), machinery and electronics (up 16%), and mineral products (up 7%).