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South Africa’s trade surplus with the rest of the world widened to R20.1bn in July from a downwardly revised R17.2bn in June, driven by a strong positive balance with fellow African states, data from the national revenue service showed on Monday.Exports during the month increased 0.8% to R194bn, while imports decreased by 0.8% to R173.8bn, the South African Revenue Service (Sars) said. The main drivers of exports were passenger motor vehicles, manganese ores and concentrates as well as coal. Import flows were reduced by lower importation of petroleum oils, crude oil and telephone sets, including smartphones.“We expect import values to increase in the near term as higher energy prices feed through to the import bill. Brent crude oil averaged close to $90/bbl in August amid renewed tensions in the Middle East and escalating hostilities between the US and Iran,” Investec economist Lara Hodes said.Read: SA-Brazil trade pact favours Brazil, BLSA chief Busi Mavuso warns“Rising petroleum import costs, coupled with exchange-rate volatility, are expected to place upward pressure on imports and limit the scope for a sustained widening in the trade surplus.”Sars published the trade data hours after the department of mineral & petroleum resources announced that the prices of diesel and petrol will rise sharply from Wednesday due to higher international prices.For the year to July, South Africa is sitting on a trade surplus of R130.9bn, higher than the R100.6bn surplus recorded for the first seven months of 2025.The data shows that exports of vegetable products increased by 12% month on month in rand terms in July while mineral products were up 14%, machinery and electronics rose 18% and vehicles and transport equipment increased 8%. Exports of precious metals and stones bucked the trend, tumbling 21%.Imports of mineral products slumped 32%, but chemical products increased 14%, while base metal imports rose 10%, vehicles and transport equipment were up 28% and original equipment components were 14% higher.During the month, South Africa’s trade surplus with the rest of Africa increased to R31.97bn from R20.4bn in June, while that with Europe edged up to R4.2bn from 3.97bn. The country, however, registered a trade deficit of R4.9bn with the Americas after a surplus of R912m in June, while its shortfall with Asia expanded to R30bn from R29.7bn.Business Day
