FX.co ★ South Africa Trade Balance Swings to Surplus

In February 2025, South Africa reported a trade surplus of ZAR 20.9 billion, a significant rebound from the previous month's revised deficit of ZAR 16.8 billion. This improvement was primarily due to a 10.4% increase in exports, amounting to ZAR 164 billion. This surge was largely fueled by substantial rises in the export of vehicles and transport equipment, which saw a 77% increase, precious metals and stones with a 24% increase, and machinery and electronics, which rose by 12%. In contrast, imports experienced a notable decrease of 13.5%, dropping to ZAR 143.1 billion. This decline was observed across all major categories, with significant reductions in the import of vehicles and transport equipment (31%), original equipment (26%), machinery and electronics (12%), plastics and rubber (28%), and chemical products (11%).